In Another Life
by Trufreak89
Summary: Naomi is starting a new college in the middle of the term; as if that isn't hard enough she has to deal with an almost insatiable attraction to the girl she befriends. Life isn't easy when you're a century old vampire stuck in a teenager's body.
1. Part 1 : In Another Life

**Title:**In Another Life

**Summary:** Naomi is starting a new college in the middle of the term; as if that isn't hard enough she has to deal with an almost insatiable attraction to the girl she befriends. Life isn't easy when you're a century old vampire stuck in a teenager's body.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything related to Skins etc.

**Rating:** M

**A/N: **Decided to post this for halloween, may be a while before I update it as I need to finish a couple of other stories off too.

As Naomi Campbell's brilliant blue eyes slowly opened she felt the tendrils of the day slowly slipping away and the last remnants of sleep giving up their hold on her body. The sun hung low in the sky, just starting to dip below the horizon, casting long dark shadows over her bed. She stretched, forcing the life back in to her tired limbs. The room around her was unfamiliar and for a moment she felt disorientated. It was only the second time she had woken up in her new room and both it and the city of Bristol were still foreign to her. She had spent the previous night familiarising herself with the streets of her new home and had rolled in to bed in the early hours of the morning.

After changing out of the clothes she had fallen asleep in she ran a brush through her long blonde hair and tied it up. Feeling a little more refreshed she silently padded downstairs. "Oh, awake then are you?" Her mother teased as she walked in to the kitchen and found the older blonde chopping up veg for some sort of stew. A pan full of mushy vegetables was already simmering away on the hob and the smell alone was enough to turn the younger girl's stomach. "You've wasted the whole day! It's been lovely, sun was shining and everything." Naomi rolled her eyes, pointedly ignoring the other woman as she took a seat at the kitchen table. She still felt tired and drained from the previous night.  
>"You start college tomorrow missy! So no staying up all night drinking…don't think I didn't hear you rolling in this morning! You still smell like a brewery."<br>"Don't talk to me like I'm a fucking kid." Naomi grumbled. She got to her feet and rummaged in the fridge for something more appetising than the slop Gina was making. She found a carton of leftovers from the day before and shoved it in to the microwave to heat up.

"You're seventeen Naomi! And don't fill up, I'm making dinner!" She indicated the chopping board and the pan, ludicrously suggesting she was making something that was actually digestible. Gina Campbell was not known for her culinary skills.  
>"And it smells lovely." Kieran, her mother's fiancée and the reason they had been dragged to Bristol, commented as he walked in to the kitchen. Trust an Irishman to consider some sort of potato and carrot medley a decent meal. For all his many faults Naomi liked Kieran. He was a decent enough bloke and he made her mother happy. He was also a politics lecturer and had landed a job at the local college, resulting in them moving from London to nearby Bristol.<br>"It smells rank." Naomi turned her nose up as she took the carton from the microwave and poured its contents in to a cup. "It's not like I need it anyway."

"Jesus Naomi, could you drink that somewhere else?" It was Kieran's turn to turn his nose up at Naomi's choice of meal; the smell of warm pig's blood assaulted his nostrils and curdled his stomach.  
>"Maybe I'll go for something fresher?" She snapped at him, her gaze dark, irritated at once again being told what to do in he own home.<br>"Naomi!" Gina snapped, her voice low and threatening.  
>"Jesus, I was joking." The blonde huffed as she finished off her meal in one last long swig. Her tongue darted out to lick away the last few drops from her lips. She had been hungrier than she thought.<p>

"We do not joke about eating family members Naomi!" Gina scowled at her daughter. Kieran shrugged it off. He knew the younger woman meant nothing by it. Though she was in fact a vampire she did not drink human blood, nor did she sleep in a coffin all day, in fact she could quite happily stroll through the sun; not that the pale young woman spent much time sunbathing.

Naomi and her mother were _Abstinentiavores. _They abstained from human blood and lived from animals instead. Animal blood was neither as nourishing nor as satisfying but they had made a conscious choice not to feed from humans. The practise had picked up a following amongst the vampire community in the eighties, an equivalent to human's being 'Straight Edge', yet Gina had brought her daughter up on the principle of never harming humans long before it had been a trend, or even accepted, among their kind. "You've had your knickers in a twist ever since we said we were moving!" The younger blonde scoffed at that and shook her head disbelievingly.  
>"Can you blame me? I had to leave my friends and my job to come to this shit hole, and to top it all off I have to start college tomorrow, for the umpteenth fucking time!"<br>"You're seventeen love-"

"I've been seventeen for the last one hundred and twenty nine years!" Naomi spat venomously, sick of being trapped in the body of a teenager. "I've graduated uni six times and you expect me to sit in some poxy third rate college!"  
>"Naomi, you know how this works! The younger you can pass for the longer we can stay. As a family." Gina shot Kieran an adoring smile. The couple had been together for years and they had met as a result of Kieran being Naomi's politics teacher at yet another new college. The younger blonde had enjoyed his lessons and he had enjoyed her company. She had been something of an intellectual equal and he had started walking home with her. There wires had been crossed somewhere and he had tried to kiss her. He'd turned up at her door a few days later to apologise and had met her mother. The rest, as they say, was history.<p>

It had taken some time but Gina had finally confided in the mortal man just exactly what she and her daughter were. Kieran had laughed of course. The thought of Gina and Naomi Campbell being bloodsucking vampires had indeed been laughable, until the older blonde had shown him her fangs and Naomi had lifted up the couch. Whilst he was sitting on it. Unsurprisingly Kieran had flipped out, and, after waking up from fainting, he'd tried to do a runner. Naomi could count on one hand how many times her mother had confided in a lover what they were. She was a good judge of character and so Naomi wasn't surprised when Kieran returned to the house and demanded to know everything. He was a good man and had adjusted to the news well once the initial shock had worn off. After four years of living with the Campbell women he was pretty much used to the whole vampire thing, except for the blood drinking part. That still made him queasy and so he rarely had to witness it. Naomi was just being a bitch by kicking up a fuss about being asked not to drink in front of him; she was usually considerate of the man who had grown to be something of a father to her; even if she was almost eighty years older than him.

"Doesn't mean I have to like it." She grumbled, though she had toned down the bitchiness. She supposed college wouldn't be too bad with Kieran teaching her once again. In the life they had just left she was passing as twenty two and had just graduated from Goldsmiths with a First in Politics. It would be nice to get back to easy work and the carefree days of college. Carefree except for the fact the she would once again be the friendless new girl who started in the middle of the school year. "But next time we move I'm home schooling." Gina shot her a guarded look. It was inevitable they would move again, the longest they had stayed in one place had been ten years and even then people had been suspicious as to why Naomi still looked so young.

Gina did not like to talk about the future or moving in front of Kieran. Their lifestyle was one of constant upheaval, something the Irishman was not keen on. He was set on laying roots and growing old. Vampires did not age, they did not get sick and they did not die; not of natural causes anyway. Kieran knew this, yet it hadn't really sunk in. In years to come, when his bones would become frail and his hair grey, when Gina would not have aged a single day from when they had first met, he would come to realise what Gina already knew. Vampires and humans did not often get happy endings. Even if their relationship lasted Gina would have to watch Kieran grow weak and eventually die. Naomi did not tend to make many friends in whatever lives they lived, or if she did she would distance herself from them, knowing they would one day be dust in the wind while Naomi would spend eternity trapped in a teenage body.

Gina had lost many lovers over the decades, some human and some not. Naomi was sure Kieran's death would be the hardest on her. Sometimes it seemed like she had managed to become as deluded as the human man. Like she actually thought they could have a normal life together. Taking the hint she changed the subject. Gina could indulge in her delusions for a few more years yet.

"There are other vampires in the city. I passed a couple of Blood Farms last night." Blood Farms were clubs or safe houses where humans could safely donate fresh blood to vampires who were Sanguisvores, drinkers of human blood. The vamps who fed from them were known as _Feeders_. There were also _Baggers _who drank from blood packs, those types of vampires preferred not to be stared at by their meals. Lastly there were_ Drinkers_. Drinkers didn't use blood farms or blood packs. They didn't use willing donors either. They were old school vampires who enjoyed the hunt and the satisfaction of draining a person until they felt their hearts take their last beat. That kind of feeding had been made illegal in the early nineties. The human government had met with the vampire elders, the High Council in Brixton to form a peace treaty guarding humans from illegal drinking. It had also ensured the vampire population protection.

"There are Hunters here too. So watch yourself." Gina warned, she said _hunters _like any other mother would say bogeyman. Naomi rolled her eyes. The 1990 Treaty of Brixton had also disbanded the hunters who'd taken it upon themselves to kill vampires since the Middle Ages; regardless of how they fed. Those few hunters who remained active worked with the High Council to keep rogue drinkers in check. Naomi had not fed on human blood in decades and had nothing to fear from them. Still she said, "I will," simply to appease her mother and to get out of the house without yet another lecture.

It was dark by the time she left the house and though the temperature had dropped by a few degrees the blonde barely felt the cold and was happy to walk the streets of Bristol in skinny jeans and a thin jumper. Though she could go out in the daylight vampires were still nocturnal creatures and she felt more alive during the night. Her senses were heightened by the darkness and it felt natural to slip among the shadows as she prowled the streets. It had been a long time since she had been out on the hunt, but her mind slipped in to her old ways with ease as she familiarised herself with the streets of Bristol.

She found herself outside of a club; the beat of the music thrumming through the pavement had led her feet there. The club was packed, a throbbing humming mass of bodies, each with a racing pulse that was singing out to the blonde. She was not a young vampire and as such the temptation to feed was minimal. When she had first been turned every beating heart had seemed to scream at her. She had learnt to control her hunger over the years and could ignore the draw of the blood. Slipping through the crowd she made her way to the bar. After catching the barman's attention she ordered a vodka and coke and slipped in to a booth at the back of the club.

The blonde enjoyed people watching, she had watched the world change over the years and nothing soothed her troubled mind like watching the lives of strangers playing out in front of her. There was a couple in the booth next to hers; even with the loud music their voices were clear to the blonde. They were having a heated debate about the man's infidelity and it was rather amusing to hear. A flash of crimson distracted her from the argument. Her eyes settled on a small slim girl with blood red hair. Her heart was pounding as she raved to the music. A guy beside her tried to put his hands on her hips as he ground against her. She laughed good-naturedly as she pushed him away and carried on dancing with the group of girls she was with. "You could just eat her up right?" Naomi's attention was stolen away from the redhead as the guy who had been dancing with her slipped in to the booth beside the blonde. He had cleared the dance floor in the blink of a human eye. His own eyes hungrily took in her form as a lurid grin spread over his lips.

He was a young man with short sandy hair and rugged good looks. He draped his arm over her shoulders as he leant in close to whisper something perverse in her ear. "Move it or lose it, Cook." She shoved his arm away.  
>"Come on girlie, where's the love? What's it been? Ten years?" He sat back as he helped himself to her drink, his eyes scanning the crowded club before settling back on the redhead he had just been trying to grope. Only as Naomi followed his line of sight she found there were two of them. She hadn't even finished her first drink and she was already seeing double; except the redhead's double was a brunette. Her face was a little fuller and everything about her screamed attention, from the leopard print dress she was wearing to the over the top makeup. She was definitely the redhead's twin.<p>

"Twelve." She answered as she tore her gaze away from the girls. "But who's counting?" She shot him a lopsided smirk. She had known James Cook for over seventy years and in that time he had changed very little. He had always been something of a Jack the lad and it was no surprise to find him in a bar chasing beautiful girls. The first time they had met had been in a crowded pub in London during the Blitz. Nineteen year old Private James Cook had looked quite handsome in his pressed uniform and though Naomi had not been interested in his flirting she couldn't deny he had been quite the charmer. He had been human then too.

"Who's Cook talking to?" Emily had to shout to be heard over the music as she nodded towards Cook and the blonde girl. The blonde had caught her attention the moment she had walked in to the club. She had moved through the crowd of dancing bodies with an effortless grace and a roaming eye, as though drinking in everything around her.

Effy and Katie followed Emily's gaze and shrugged in unison. "Knowing Cook, probably some tart!" Katie rolled her eyes disapprovingly. The blonde's head snapped up and looked over to them, as though she had heard what Emily's older twin had said about her. Her eyes narrowed as she found Emily staring back at her. The youngest twin shuddered as she felt something akin to an electric current running through her body. She dropped her gaze first, a crimson blush spreading over her cheeks. There was something dangerously enticing about those icy blue eyes.

"Who's the girl?" Naomi asked after the girl redhead had looked away from her, noting with a small smile the blush that spread across her porcelain cheeks. If there was one thing Naomi enjoyed it was making girls blush.  
>"That's Red." Cook grinned as he nodded towards the girl in question. For such a small girl she was certainly brave, shooting another thinly veiled glance at Naomi and Cook over in the booth. She smiled at Cook in return before slipping back in to the crowd to follow Effy and Katie to dance. "I see you've still got good taste Blondie. She's a twin you know." He shot her a cheeky wink. Naomi snorted and rolled her eyes at her old friend. He hadn't changed a bit in the decade or so they had been apart. "Sister's a bit of a bitch, mostly all mouth. The stunner with her is Effy. I've been trying to tap that since last year."<p>

"You're old enough to be her grandfather Cook! You probably _are _her grandfather!" Cook had been turned at the tender age of nineteen, but not before he'd slept with half of the women in London and more than likely gotten a few of them 'in the family way' as it had been called back then. He probably had grandkids roaming all over the place. Not that he would care if he did. After a while the lives they had lived as humans had faded and dulled to the point that sometimes Naomi couldn't even remember her real surname. She had adopted Campbell when Gina had turned her and brought her up as her daughter; but she'd had a name before, and parents. Living breathing parents who had brought her in to the world and cared for her until the night she had met Gina. The night she never went home again.

It was hard for her to think of her human life, not because it had been particularly hard or sorrowful, her memories before she had been turned were simply not as sharp as the ones after her re-birth as a vampire. There were days when she struggled to remember her real father's name, or whether she had inherited her mother's looks.

Shrugging the memories off like a heavy coat she chose to concentrate on the present. "You're living among them then? Uni? College?"  
>"College." He confirmed for her. His attention was momentarily distracted as he checked in on his group. His eyes darted around the club at lightning speed, it would be unseen by the human eye, but Naomi had no problem keeping up with where he was looking. Within seconds she had sussed he was with the three girls he had mentioned, another blonde girl and her boyfriend who appeared to be the DJ, and two other teenage boys who were sat in one of the other booths.<p>

Cook had always been a social creature and he tended to keep a vigil over those he called his friends. It seemed he kept an extra close eye on the fragile humans he had befriended. The night they had first met, a night that had sadly not ended well for Private Cook, he had been attracted to Naomi and the group of people she had been with at the time. She hoped he had grown wiser when it came to choosing companions.

"Earth to Naomi!" Cook chuckled as he waved a hand in front of her face, snapping her out of her trip down memory lane. She blinked, taking a moment to remember where she was. It had been some time since she had thought of her past, the one that didn't include Gina anyway, and it seemed the memories were wrapping around her like heavy chains, trapping her in her own mind. "I said what about you? Gina's big on the integration shit ain't she?"  
>"Oh. College. You know what Gina's like. Start young, stay longer." Naomi quipped doing a good impression of Gina, just without the chirpy smile to go with it.<br>"You off to Roundview then? Oh, this is gonna be good Blondie! Me and you back together again! The fearsome twosome!" Back in the old days it had been the fearsome foursome, they both had the good sense not to bring it up.

Naomi tried to muster some enthusiasm at the prospect of spending her days with her old friend, but being around him reminded her of a time she had spent almost three decades trying to forget. She loved him dearly and they shared a bond and a history that could never be severed, but he was a constant reminder of a time when Naomi had not always respected human life. "Here, we'll have to work out something to tell my mates, bout how we met and that."

Naomi agreed. Somehow she couldn't quite see Cook introducing her to his friends as the vampire who had taken his life down a dark, filthy alley in the middle of the London Blitz.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: **Thanks to everyone who's reading and to those who reviewed. I posted the first chapter to see if anyone would be interested and it seems people are so I got on with the second. I'm swamped with work and trying to finish other stories at the moment so updates may be slow.

Naomi and Cook had been so lost in conversation, trying to come up with a plausible backstory for their friendship, that they had failed to notice the youngest twin make her way across the club towards them. It was only as she grew close enough to hear them that Naomi's attention snapped towards her. She was aware she must have been frowning, her default expression, because the girl seemed to shrink back a little before offering Cook a wary smile. "Hey you! You promised me a dance!" She giggled as Cook lurched forward and wrapped his arms around her in a bear hug before physically lifting her off the ground and spinning her around before carrying her over to Naomi. As he put her back down he let his hands linger on her hips as he introduced them. "Emilio, this is Naomikins! Friend of mine from way back when." They had agreed to keep it vague. The hardest lies to keep up with were the most detailed ones.  
>"I'm Emily." She corrected as she held out her hand for the blonde.<br>"Naomi."

As they shook hands Naomi could feel the other girl's pounding heart and the blood rushing through her veins just below the surface of the skin. There was a healthy flush to her cheeks and mixed in with the scent of her perfume was a faint trace of Sambuca and vodka, though not strong enough for a human nose to detect, Naomi's abilities could easily allow her to identify what the girl had been drinking. There was something else about her scent; something that didn't quite fit.

She was comfortably buzzed with the alcohol that was coursing through her system and she offered Naomi a friendly smile as she pulled away from Cook and slipped in to the booth beside the blonde. "So how do you know Cook?" Cook left them alone and made his way to the bar, not wanting to say something different to Naomi. Even as he hovered by the bar he could still pick up their conversation clearly among the noise of the club. He would let Naomi make everything up and simply follow her lead.

"Middle school." The blonde answered the inquisitive twin without offering too much information. "My family moved to Ireland a few years ago. We've just moved back." If Emily picked up on her reluctance to answer she didn't show it as she ploughed straight on to another question.  
>"Are you starting at Roundview then? It's a bit of a shit hole, but we all go there…I could show you around? If you'd like?" The smaller girl added sheepishly as she realised she was being a bit forward with the relative stranger. Despite herself Naomi's lips curled up in to a smile. It had been a long time since a human had been able to hold her interest yet she found herself drawn to the blushing redhead.<br>"I would. Thanks Emily."  
>"No problem, Naomi."<p>

"Who the fuck is Emily talking to?" Naomi discreetly shot a glance in the direction the angry snarl had come from. She traced it back to a tall dark haired girl with rich coffee coloured skin standing by Cook at the bar. She was attractive, but her features were scrunched in to a scowl. Her voice had carried itself easily to Naomi's overly sensitive ears, but Emily remained oblivious of the storm brewing as Cook teased the girl.  
>"No idea luv, maybe she's pulled?"<br>"Fuck off Cook." She growled at him before shoving her way through the crowd, making a beeline for the booth the two girls were sat in. Naomi stared past her and caught Cook's eye. He chuckled at her as the furious girl reached them. No doubt he would be listening in.  
>"What the fuck Emsy? Who's she?" Naomi instantly felt herself bristling at the pet name the other girl used for the redhead. She didn't like that the girl smelt familiar either. She was the scent on Emily that didn't belong.<p>

Vampires by nature were possessive and territorial beings and as the girl glared down at her Naomi had the intense desire to mark her territory. Sixty years ago that would have meant sinking her fangs in to the pale flesh of Emily's neck, marking her for all to see, humans and vampires alike. Or ripping the taller girl's throat out for her; as it was she forced herself to stay glued to her seat. Emily didn't seem any more impressed with the girl's sudden appearance either. "This is Naomi. _She's _a friend of Cook's. Not that it's any of _your_ business Mandy."  
>"None of my business?" Mandy snapped, her face contorting with barely controlled rage. "You're my fucking girlfriend!" It took everything in Naomi not to let out the low threatening growl that had built up in her throat. She had been intrigued by the little human girl from the second she had laid eyes on her and she felt an ugly jealousy welling up in the pit of her stomach.<p>

"Ex." Emily corrected her in an exasperated tone of voice that said she had told Mandy this more than once.  
>"We're on a break!" Mandy huffed, though she seemed to have more sense than to try and push the issue. With one last dirty look cast in Naomi's direction she skulked off in to the crowd. Naomi could hear her muttering curses under her breath and couldn't help the smirk that spread across her face. Emily, not realising it was from the satisfaction of having her full attention, groaned in to her hands.<br>"I'm so sorry about that. I broke up with her like six weeks ago; she still thinks we're just on a break or something."  
>"I think she's had a break from reality." Naomi's caustic comments tended to get her in trouble, but the other girl laughed and agreed wholeheartedly with her.<br>"You ever had one of those exes that just doesn't give up?"  
>"You've got no idea." Naomi replied, her words were laced with the kind of bitterness that took decades to build up. Not that the child sitting in front of her would know anything about true regrets and suffering. The blonde on the other hand was almost one hundred and fifty years old and knew what it was to suffer quite well.<p>

Stopping herself before she could sink back in to the memories of her past the blonde forced her smile to return; not that it was hard with the redhead discreetly looking her up and down when she thought Naomi wasn't looking. "So am I going to need protection on this guided tour of college?" She teased as she caught Mandy glaring at the pair of them from the bar. Emily followed her line of sight and shook her head.  
>"I'll double as your tour guide and body guard." She shot back, causing Naomi to chuckle at the thought of the pint sized girl protecting her.<br>"Careful Emily, I might hold you to that. Drink?" The blonde held up her empty glass as she got to her feet. Emily went to pull out her purse, but Naomi covered her hand with her own. She felt the redhead's pulse quicken in response to the contact. "My treat."

She was aware of several sets of eyes on her as she made her way to the bar. One pair belonged to Emily, who was busy muttering to herself to act cool, while another set belonged to Mandy who was still glaring daggers at the blonde. The last eyes belonged to Emily's twin who was also less than impressed with the blonde. As she reached Cook at the bar he handed over the two glasses he had ordered in advance for her. The liquid inside them was a strange purple colour. She sniffed at one and was surprised to find it smelt quite appealing. She had never been big on mixed drinks, preferring the smoother taste of straight whiskey. When she got back to the table Emily's eyes lit up at the sight of the purple concoction.

"Purple rain? My favourite!" Naomi could feel Cook's satisfied smirk on her back. She definitely owed that boy more than a drink for winning her some brownie points with Emily's favourite drink. The other girl's fingers softly and deliberately brushed against Naomi's as she took the glass from her hand. The cocktail wasn't too bad, though it was made all the sweeter with the company.  
>"So why did your family move back from Ireland?" Emily was back to her questioning and Naomi found herself opening up a little more.<br>"My step dad's the new psychology teacher at Roundview."  
>"I take psychology!" Emily beamed. "What classes are you taking?"<br>"Psychology, English Literature, History and Sociology."  
>"I take all those, except English Lit; JJ takes that though. I'll have to introduce you to the guys…"<br>"Maybe later?" Naomi suggested as she took another sip of her drink, not quite ready to share Emily's company with anyone else.

Cook took the decision from her hands though as he walked up to their table with the rest of his merry band of misfits. He introduced them all one by one. There was Emily's twin Katie, older by six minutes, and Pandora and Thomas, an unusual couple that seemed to work; Thomas was as placid as 'Panda' was hyper. Then there was Freddie, a skater type who was so strung out on weed that his pupils were as wide as dinner plates. Naomi made a note to make friends with him. While most drugs, including alcohol, had little effect on a vampire's body and mind they still created a temporary buzz and were worth indulging in; especially considering Naomi's body would not be damaged by them. The last one Cook introduced to her was a sheepish looking young man with tight curly hair and a nervous smile. He was JJ, the boy who apparently shared an English class with her.

The group were an eclectic mix and Naomi was not surprised Cook had gravitated to them. He had always been big on family, and since most of his had died out years ago he clung to his friends like surrogate brothers and sisters. The group asked her mindless questions about how she knew Cook and her life in Ireland, questions that Emily had already asked. They had seemed less annoying coming from the redhead's mouth, but the others quickly began to bug her. She did not tend to do big groups of people. Her friendship circles over the last few decades had never grown bigger than three or four humans at a time and she found herself craving to have Emily all to herself again as her twin hogged the girl's attention.

"Mandy looks pissed." Freddie remarked, amazingly the boy was conscious enough to notice the sulking girl.  
>"Hmm…I'd look like that too if my ex were sitting with a smoking hot blonde." Effy, the quietest of the group spoke up. Naomi decided then and there she liked the girl. She was quiet out of choice, not shyness. Everything about her from the clothes on her back to the smirk on her lips screamed confidence. Emily blushed and hid her face behind her glass as she took a long drink. "So, Naomi, what team do you bat for?" Emily choked on her cocktail as Effy casually questioned the blonde's sexuality. She was definitely interested in the answer though. Naomi held Effy's probing gaze as she answered.<br>"Life's too short to pick sides Effy, don't you think?" Effy's appraising look told her she'd just made a new friend in the stoic girl.

She stayed with the group until it was almost closing time at the club. By that time her hunger had risen to an insurmountable level; the heady mixture of pulsating dancing bodies all around her, and Emily Fitch pressed up against her side in the booth the eight of them had squeezed in to, was getting too much for her and she eventually had to excuse herself. If she didn't get something to satisfy her hunger she risked falling foul of the temptation to drink from a human. One human in particular was increasing her thirst tenfold. Emily's heart was like a ticking clock, pounding in Naomi's ears and keeping perfect time with every passing second. Cook must have picked up on her hunger because he let her go without a fuss. Generally he would try to keep everyone out as late as possible, but he let her leave after a tight hug.  
>"Good to see you again babes." He muttered in her ear and she squeezed him back just as tightly. Cook was perhaps the only part of her old life that she missed. That and the taste of fresh blood as it flowed straight from the vein in to her mouth; the way danced over her tongue and enticed her taste buds…<p>

"Naomi?" The blonde was pulled from her dark thoughts as Emily's sweet husky voice filled her ears. She had followed her out of the club and down the grotty little alley that led back out on to the main road. She had no idea what kind of danger she was putting herself in by following a creature like Naomi out in to the secluded darkness. "I don't have your number. You know for giving you your guided tour tomorrow." The alcohol had made the smaller girl bold, yet she still stumbled over her words as Naomi's icy blue eyes burned in to her.  
>"Don't worry." Naomi took a few steps forward to remove the distance between them. Her thumb and forefinger titled the smaller girl's chin up to meet her smouldering gaze. She pressed the lightest of kisses to Emily's lips before pulling back with a smug expression.<p>

It had taken her every ounce of will power to pull back from the kiss, but it had had its desired effect. Emily's eyes were glazed over with thinly veiled lust and her tongue subconsciously darted out over her still parted lips. "I'll find you. Goodnight Emily." She shot her a wink before turning around and strutting off; deliberately rolling her hips, knowing she had the redhead's full attention. The chaste kiss had done nothing to alleviate her thirst though. It had simply left her body infused with a different sort of desire. One a mug of microwaved pig's blood would not be able to quench.


	3. Chapter 3

The walk home was excruciating for Naomi. The little redhead had her heart racing and her blood felt like it was boiling under her skin. Her thirst was like that of a freshly turned vampire, completely unquenchable. She passed dozens of revellers on the city streets, all making their way home after a night out, and each and everyone one of them had a pulse that seemed to be screaming out to her. By the time she reached her new home her body was trembling. She locked the door behind her and would have slumped to the ground there and then if her hunger hadn't driven her on to the kitchen.

Yanking open the fridge door she pulled out two cartons of blood and drank one after another without even bothering to warm them. The cold blood was about as satisfying as one of Gina's homemade stews, but it quenched the hunger in the pit of her stomach and brought her back to her senses. It had been a long time since she had been so close to losing control, yet flirting with Emily Fitch had left her like a mindless fledgling. She made a decision there and then never to be around Emily on an empty stomach. Ripping a girl's throat out was considered a little more than a social faux pas in polite society.

"Something the matter love?" Naomi jumped, her nerves were still frayed.  
>"I'm fine." She sounded anything but fine as she growled in response. Gina looked at her appraisingly, taking in the blood smeared around her mouth and the fierce glare in her eyes. She was far older and stronger than her childe and wasn't in the least bit intimidated by the feral looking blonde.<br>"Something's obviously bothering you. You can barely stand that pig swill warm, never mind cold. You just scoffed it like there was a prize at the bottom! Come on, what's going on?"

"Nothing mum." Naomi softened her voice and managed a weak smile. "I was at a club; you know what it's like. Too many people, too much going on…" She trailed off praying Gina would believe her. The last thing she needed was for the older blonde to start worrying she was going to feed on people again. Naomi had let her down before and she had no intentions of doing it again.

The older vampire's eyes softened as she pulled her daughter in for a hug and placed a kiss on the top of her head, "Alright love. Just remember I'm here if you need me."  
>"Always." Naomi muttered. For all Gina was not her biological mother the bond between a vampire and their maker was just as strong. As old as Naomi was it was a comfort to know she still had Gina to turn to.<br>"Good night then?" Gina quizzed as she pottered about making tea. Naomi had been debating over whether or not to mention Cook, or Emily, but she saw the other woman's nostrils flare. Their scents would be all over her; particularly Emily's.  
>"Yeah Cook's in town. He's going to the college."<br>"Oh." The other woman forced a tight lipped smile. James Cook was a constant reminder of Naomi's past indiscretions. "That's nice then. Maybe he can put a smile on your face."  
>"Look mum-"<p>

"Naomi it's fine. James is your childe, he's welcome here anytime. So is the girl who's all over you." A genuine smile crossed her lips as the younger blonde blushed. "So are you going to tell me about her, or do I need to resort to force?" Gina handed over a cup of tea and kept one for herself. She cradled it as she waited eagerly for the gossip; as though it was normal for mother and daughter to sit at the table and talk about the girls she came home smelling like.

Naomi was surprised to find herself smiling sheepishly up at her mother. She was meant to be pretending to be a teenager, not physically and emotionally being one. In her day there had been no such thing as a 'teenager'. No hormones and temper tantrums, no Xbox or Facebook. Children grew up and once they were old enough they went to work to provide for their families. Though she would forever be frozen in the body of a seventeen year old she had never had much of a childhood.

After the Second World War, when the roaring fifties and swinging sixties had brought with them the concept of the 'teenager', she had been passing as an adult, flitting from place to place with Cook and the people she had called her family at the time. Returning to Gina in the eighties had been hard, but passing as a teenager back then had been fun. After thirty years it was just monotonous.

Emily was something new though. It had been a very long time since a human had held her interest so quickly and intensely. "She's nice." She chose her words carefully, if Gina thought she was too interested she would worry about Naomi feeding from her; or worse turning her. Naomi had already sired one vampire; she had no intentions of inflicting her curse on to anyone else.  
>"Nice?" She's not a tea cake Naomi! Tall, short? Blonde, brunette?"<br>"Red, dyed not natural. She's small, slim…quite feisty." The smirk returned to her lips as she described the youngest twin.

"You'll have to bring her home for dinner…with us, not for us." She added, only half joking. Naomi rolled her eyes. She loved her surrogate mother dearly, but there were times when she could just be too much.  
>"Are we extending the no eating family members rule to friends now too?" Kieran teased as her entered the kitchen dressed in flannel pyjamas and fuzzy pink slippers that obviously belonged to Gina. "Now I know you girls don't need to sleep, but I do. Do you think you could keep it down a bit?"<br>"Sorry Kieran." Naomi's encounter with the little redhead had left in her in an uncharacteristically good mood and so she kissed his cheek as she apologised. "I'm going to get an hour or two anyway. Goodnight."  
>"Goodnight love."<p>

While vampires didn't need to sleep as such, they still could. Resting would help preserve the energy she had gained from her evening meal and hopefully stop her from feeling so close to losing control around Emily. She lay down on her new bed and crawled under the covers. Her body could feel the sunlight creeping over the horizon, lulling her to sleep.

Eons ago, when vampires had first walked the earth, the elders who had been born not made, they could not face the sun, but evolution had worked its magic and eventually the vampires had built a tolerance to sunlight. For Naomi's generation it was practically harmless. It's only side effect being that prolonged exposure made her weaker and thirsty. Like most natural predators she was nocturnal and felt more comfortable under the cover of darkness.

Her eyes opened again a few minutes before Kieran's alarm was due to go off, her body's natural clock informing her it was time to get up. She slipped in to the bathroom while Kieran was still fighting with his alarm clock. The poor sap never had a chance of beating Naomi or Gina to the bathroom in the mornings and he had given up trying years ago.

Once she was showered she padded back in to her room wrapped in an oversized towel. She stood glaring at her open wardrobe, debating over what to wear. The first outfit she wore to college tended to set everyone's impression of her and would usually get her in to one social group or another. Since she had already been elected in to Cook's eclectic little group she decided to go for something alternative. She pulled a low cut white vest over her head and covered it with a black fitted jacket with three quarter sleeves. Paired with her skinny jeans and bright red converse meant she didn't look to formal.

She left her hair down in loose curls and even made an effort with some makeup, applying eyeliner and ruby red lipstick that matched her converse. She fluffed at her hair as she made her way downstairs. "Just give me twenty minutes-" Kieran started with a mouthful of toast, but Naomi cut him off before he could finish.  
>"I don't need a lift. I can walk and still beat you there." Kieran's car was a pitiful rust bucket that spent more time sitting on the drive than it did on the roads.<br>"Fair point."

Although Naomi could have easily walked to the college she got on the bus at the end of the street. It was full with the usual morning school rush of snot nosed kids, bumbling old people and students. She gave up her seat to an elderly woman who then spent the rest of the journey telling Naomi how different things had been in the 'good old days'. Naomi wasn't sure she agreed with her. Yes things had been different, but not necessarily better. That was the trouble with the past; people always looked at it through rose coloured glasses.

When the bus stopped outside the college the blonde found herself staring up at yet another grubby grey building. Colleges in the eighteen hundreds had been grand elaborate centres of learning; now they were no different to office blocks, knocked up within a few months to horde the mindless masses through a government approved syllabus for exams that would get them meaningless pieces of paper to mark their time in higher education.

She had barely stepped off the bus when she caught a familiar scent on the breeze. Her scowl transformed in to a smirk as she watched Emily round the corner on an orange moped. She pulled in to a space in the car park and was pulling her helmet off as Naomi sauntered over to her, like a lioness stalking her prey. "Do you have a death wish or something?" She teased, earning a smile from the smaller girl.  
>"Hop on; I'll take you for a ride."<br>"Sorry, I'm used to a little more horsepower." Her quick wit never failed her and it put a delicious blush on the other girl's cheeks. "Though I've heard good things come in small packages…so, Fitch, am I getting my tour or what?"  
>"I can give you the grand three hour tour…but only twenty minutes of that would include the college."<br>"I'm sure we could think of something to pass the rest of the time."  
>"I'm sure we could." Emily shot back, giving back as good as she got. It seemed she was just as feisty when she was sober. "Come on then Campbell."<p>

She led the blonde inside the college and along a series of corridors until she came to a stop at one of the lockers. She locked her helmet inside and then began the 'grand tour'. Within fifteen minutes she had led the blonde around the entire college. The last place she took her to was the common room. Effy, Cook and Freddie were already there, lounging around on the sofas. JJ sat at one of the desks, his head buried in a book. "Alright Blondie?" Cook grinned at her as she took a seat beside him. Effy sat up so Emily could sit beside her. Katie was noticeably missing. Probably nursing a hangover. "Red been looking after you then?"  
>"Got the grand tour."<br>"Bet that took all of five minutes." Effy piped up as she lazily propped her sunglasses up on the top of her head. "So Naomi, how do you like Bristol?"  
>"It has its attractions." The blonde caught Emily's eye and revelled in the blood that rushed to her cheeks.<br>"I'll bet." Effy smirked. Her smile disappeared as she noticed Mandy walking in to the common room. "Stalker alert."  
>"Fuck." Emily dived of the sofa she was sat on and crawled behind the one Naomi shared with Cook, much to the blonde's amusement.<p>

The second Mandy spotted Emily's group she stormed over. "Where's Emily?" She snapped at no one in particular.  
>"Hiding behind the sofa." Effy replied with a straight face. "She saw you coming." Naomi was momentarily stunned by Effy's betrayal, until Mandy narrowed her eyes at her.<br>"Fuck off Stonem, where is she?" Effy's stark honesty had been taken as a bluff. "Tell her I need to speak to her. It's important." She glared at the group before stalking off back the way she had come, obviously still on the hunt for the elusive Fitch.

Naomi waited until she was gone to lean over the edge of the sofa and smirk down at the hiding girl. "She's persistent." She held out her hand to help the smaller girl up. She was careful not to grip Emily's slender fingers too hard, or to put too much strength in to helping her up.  
>"You have no idea." Emily sighed as she brushed her jeans down and straightened her shirt. "She's probably going to fucking turn up in Politics." The redhead grumbled as she slumped on to the arm of the sofa Naomi was sitting on. Their first lesson of the day was double Politics and Mandy seemed to have Emily's timetable memorised.<br>"Not a problem. Come on." Naomi took the other girl's hand again, their fingers entwining perfectly as she dragged Emily to her feet.

"And we're going where?" Emily asked as they left the common room and Naomi led her down the corridor. She got her answer as Naomi stopped outside the classroom Kieran had told her he was teaching in. She let go of Emily's hand before opening the door and walking straight in. They were the first students there and Kieran looked mildly surprised that anyone had turned up at all.  
>"Hey Kieran, this is Emily."<p>

Kieran stared at Emily as though the blonde had presented her for inspection. After a few awkward moments his usual grin broke out over his face. "Hello there Emily. You one of mine are you?"  
>"Yes sir." The smaller girl answered politely with a sheepish smile, aware he was Naomi's step-father and obviously trying to make a good impression.<br>"There's no need for that, call me Kieran…you're keen aren't you? The bell doesn't go till nine-"  
>"I need a favour." Naomi interrupted him in the kind of sickly sweet voice that children used to cajole their parents. Kieran rolled his eyes, as if he should have expected her to say something like that. "If a girl called Mandy turns up asking for Emily can you kick her out? Please?"<br>"Any reason why I should?" Kieran quizzed, though more out of curiosity than concern.  
>"Because she's not one of your students, and she's a bitch who's giving Ems a hard time?" The pet name rolled freely from her lips and Naomi decided she liked the weight of it on her tongue.<br>"Fair enough." Kieran shrugged and waved them on to take a seat.

"Thanks." Emily smile was dazzling as she directed it at the blonde. "Mandy just can't take no for an answer." Naomi could hardly blame Mandy for wanting her ex-girlfriend back. The girl was gorgeous and smart, fiery yet polite; a rare combination in the modern world.  
>"So how did you two get together?" Naomi tried to make her question sound casual, but there was an undertone to her voice, an undeniable interest in the pint sized girl sitting beside her.<p>

Emily shrugged her shoulders in response. "We just started talking last year. Went to the same parties, got drunk and kissed a few times…" The rest was self-explanatory. Even though Naomi hadn't asked her to Emily carried on and told her why they had broken up. "Things were great for a while, but she just got so clingy. Wanted to know who I was with and where I was all the time. I already have a twin for that." She joked, trying to make light of the situation, though Naomi guessed from the slight tremor in her voice that Mandy's possessiveness had gone far beyond that. For all Emily seemed to stand her ground with the other girl it appeared that underneath the façade she was scared of her ex.

Naomi put two and two together and came up with a realisation that boiled her blood. "Emily, did she hurt you?" It was a struggle to keep her voice low and level when there was a snarl forming a lump in her throat. Panic flashed across Emily's eyes. Her so called friends and loved ones had obviously failed to see beyond her mask.  
>"It was just one time, it was no big deal. I ended it the next day." Emily dismissed it with the wave of a hand, but Naomi couldn't forget about it quite so easily. In her human life she had always been hot-headed with a fiery temper; being turned had not helped with her anger issues. She clenched her fists under the table, forcing herself to stay seated.<p>

She barely knew the youngest Fitch twin, yet she was ready to go and rip a girl to pieces for hurting her. "Besides." The warmth returned to Emily's eyes as she shot Naomi a coy smile. "I'm more interested in you." The rage in the pit of Naomi's stomach quelled a little as it was slowly replaced by fluttering butterflies.  
>"So where are you from? You don't sound Irish."<br>"Here. Originally." Naomi had been born in Bristol in the late eighteen hundreds, when the industrial revolution had been in full swing and the world had been on the edge of changing forever. After Gina had turned her they had travelled the continent, taking in the wonders of the world. From the pyramids in Egypt to the Vatican in Rome, they had spent decades soaking up different cultures and languages. The world had been different then, somehow larger. Trips to faraway lands had taken weeks and even months by boat. The long journey had made the destination all the more worthwhile.

They had settled in Ireland a few years earlier, not long before they had met Kieran. Their strange family unit had flourished, especially once Kieran knew and accepted what Naomi and her mother really were. It was nice to be back in the city, even if the landscape was unrecognisable from when she had first lived there.  
>"Do you have any brothers and sisters?" They were pretty basic questions for getting to know someone, but considering Naomi was over a century old she had to think about her answers first.<br>"I had a brother, Nathaniel. He died when I was younger." He had been ten years younger than Naomi and had died at the age of twenty four. She had never gone back to her family after the night Gina had turned her, but she had kept a distant vigil over them, returning to Bristol every few years to watch over them. Her brother's death had broken her parent's hearts, having 'lost' their daughter fourteen years earlier, they had become childless. Her mother had died a few years later, though her Father had lasted to see the end of the First World War.  
>"God Naomi, I'm so sorry-"<br>"It happened years ago." Naomi shrugged her pity off like it was an oversized coat smothering her. She had dealt with her brother's death, and her parents' too, years ago. Her whole family was long gone, but at Naomi's age her human life was a distant memory.

Cook had reminded her of her brother. It had been one of the reasons she had chosen to turn him. With his sandy hair, broad shoulders and boyish charm he had almost been the ghost of her departed brother. There had been times over the years when she and Cook had passed themselves as brother and sister and no one had batted an eye lid. They had been a strange family back then, and though Gina had not known him during his first few decades she had still accepted him as Naomi's childe. If it hadn't been for that bond between them then Gina Campbell wouldn't have wanted Naomi anywhere near him. As it was she was willing to let the past go and had reluctantly accepted Cook in to their family.

During their question and answer session the classroom had begun to fill up and so they barely acknowledged the door opening again. That was until Mandy's shrill voice snapped at them. "There you are! Emily I need to talk to-" Naomi's earlier frustrations returned and she felt her body rising out of her chair at its own accord. Before she had a chance to move though Kieran cut in.  
>"Excuse me missy, but you're not in my class, so kindly fuck off before I throw you out." Mandy's eyes bulged from the shock having a teacher address her that way. She opened her mouth again, but caught sight of Naomi glaring at her and thought better of it. She huffed as she turned around and stormed out of the door again, slamming it shut behind her. "Right, the rest of you little fuckers can turn to page forty-four." The class of previously disinterested teenagers seemed to have a new found respect for their less than conventional lecturer and all pulled their books open to the desired page.<p>

As Naomi sat back down and flipped to the right page in her own book she felt a small hand squeeze her knee. "Thanks." Emily mumbled quietly as Kieran began taking the register. She kept her hand there for most of the lesson.

When the bell rang there was a flurry of activity as the students packed away their things and scrambled for the door. Naomi held back, aware that she had English Literature next, which meant a lesson without Emily. The smaller girl's hand had been burning a hole in her knee the entire lesson, as though she had been wearing a glove made of silver. "Do me a favour and cover if Mandy asks for me?" Emily grinned as she pushed open one of the windows the windows that led on to the field at the back of the college.  
>"No problem." Naomi bit back a smirk as she watched Emily climb through the window and drop down to the ground with the expertise of someone who did that kind of thing often. "See you at lunch?"<br>"Can't wait."

Naomi was still smiling to herself as she walked out of the classroom and straight in to Mandy. Her hunger was starting to return and her anger with the other girl didn't help matters. She would have to feed before she met Emily for lunch. "Where is she?" Mandy glowered, she had obviously been standing guard over the door, waiting for her to come out.  
>"Where's who?" Naomi feigned ignorance as Mandy pushed passed her to get in to the classroom. Kieran's resounding shout for the girl to fuck off again, and Mandy's furious expression as she stormed out without her prize, was enough to keep a smile on her face until lunch. Maybe being back in college wouldn't be quite so dull after all.<p> 


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: **Thanks to everyone who's reading and reviewing! I can guarantee there will be no sparkling vampires and plenty of Naomily. Apologies for how long it's taken me to update, I'm juggling a few stories and training a new team at work so a day off is a rare thing at the moment.

"Took a shine to Red haven't ya?" Cook grinned as Naomi's gaze travelled to the window of her classroom for the umpteenth time since they had made their way to the roof to have a sly smoke. The fair skinned vampire blushed. "She's a good kid is Emilio."  
>"Not my type then?" Naomi teased as she flicked away what was left of her cigarette over the edge of the roof.<br>"Nah, we both know it's the bad boys you like babes." He winked at her as he finished his own and flicked the butt. "I've missed you like crazy…"  
>"I missed you too. I just…I promised Gina-" Cook shrugged her off and pulled her in for a tight hug.<p>

"Water under the bridge Blondie, yeah? Come on, bell's about to go. Time to pretend to be like everybody else." Cook meant it as a joke, but in truth that was all they ever did. Pretended to be something they weren't. "I'd offer you something to get you through it but…" He pulled out a hipflask and the smell of human blood assaulted her senses, making her lips water. "I don't have any of that pig shit."  
>"It's not so bad." It was a lie, but it was something she had to tell herself every day. She couldn't fall off the wagon. Human blood could never again be an option for her.<p>

Of course that was easier said than done, and in the decades since she had stopped feeding on humans she had never been as tempted by one of them as she was by Emily Fitch. They all sat huddled around one of the tables in the canteen, Emily had chosen the seat beside Naomi and her thigh was pressed up against the blonde's. Naomi could feel every beat of her heart through the contact and it was driving her nuts. She was thirsty and her mind was all over the place. She felt her fangs straining against her gums, begging for the sweet release that would come from sinking them in to the sweet soft flesh of Emily's neck.

"Naomi." Cook recognised the distant look in her eye and tried to take her mind off of her hunger. "You out tonight? Me and you, out on the town, what do you say? Show these pussies how it's done?"  
>"Some other time Cook." The blonde mumbled, too distracted by Emily's quickening pulse to pay much attention to him. The sweet symphony of the little redhead's pounding heart was all that consumed her attention.<br>"Oh come on Blondie-"  
>"I'm not feeling well, ok?" She snapped at him a little more harshly than she had intended, but he was used to her mood swings and it was like water off a duck's back.<p>

"Are you ok?" Emily put her hand on the blonde's shoulder, her face full of concern as she leant in close, her scent washed over the already barely restrained vampire.  
>"I have to go." Naomi stood up so quickly she knocked her chair over.<br>"Freak." Katie sneered as she fled from the table.

Naomi collapsed against the sink and splashed water on to her face to try and calm down. Her knuckles were white from how hard she was gripping the sink and she eventually had to let go as she felt the porcelain crack. "Naomi?" She jumped as Emily appeared behind her, her hand found its way to her shoulder again and the hunger in the pit of her stomach roared its ugly head. She clamped her eyes shut as she bit back a growl. "Are you ok"

"Fine. Cramps." She lied as she clutched her stomach, trying to ignore just how delicious the other girl smelled. "I'll be ok in a minute."  
>"Nightmare. Here, I've got some aspirin-" Emily began digging around in the big orange bag she had over one shoulder.<br>"Thanks, but I don't take pills." Naomi put her hand over the smaller girl's to stop her rummaging through her bag, but pulled it back just as quickly. The touch had sent Emily's heart racing.  
>"They're painkillers, not Acid." Emily smiled up at her with her big brown eyes, the epitome of innocence, unaware of the effect she was having on the blonde.<br>"Shame, acid always cures my cramps." Naomi chuckled as she discreetly took a step back, putting a safer distance between them.

"Here." Emily rummaged in her bag again and pulled out a bar of chocolate. She broke it in half and handed the biggest piece over to the blonde with a sheepish smile. "Chocolate cures everything." Naomi forced a smile as she swallowed the sickly sweet chocolate. Her stomach churned in protest as she continued to deny it the nourishment it really wanted. She couldn't even slip away to feed as Emily followed her out of the bathroom and fell in to step with her.  
>"So are you going out with Cook tonight?"<br>"Probably not, still got loads of unpacking to do."

"Oh, well we should go out for a drink sometime…when you've finished unpacking."  
>"Yeah, sure. Here." She pulled out a pen from her bag and took hold of Emily's arm, she wrote her mobile number down, smirking as she felt the other girl's heart racing ten to the dozen. "I've got stuff to do, catch you later, yeah?"<br>"Yeah. See you." She was aware of Emily's eyes following her all the way up the corridor until she disappeared around the corner. The second she was clear she raced to Kieran's classroom to pick up the flask of blood she had stashed in one of his filing cabinets. She greedily drained the flask dry, yet she still felt famished once it was empty. The pig's blood left her as unsatisfied as the chocolate she had forced herself to eat. Something far sweeter to eat came to mind and she once again found herself thinking about Emily Fitch. She contemplated going home early, but she knew it would just worry Gina. They needed to blend in and go unnoticed. Truants were noticed.

At least she had Sociology in the afternoon. She could get through that class in her sleep. She had been studying social interaction since the birth of the modern world and had even met Durkheim and Marx. By the time she found the classroom she was looking for most of the class were already there, including Emily; who conveniently had her bag sat on the seat beside her, saving it for the blonde. Though the pig's blood had far from satisfied her thirst it had at least quelled it and she could sit next to the little redhead without the urge to pounce on her. Well not for her blood anyway.

"We read this last week." Emily sighed as she reread the same passage of her textbook twice. They had been set the task of reading a chapter of the text book and then discussing it amongst themselves while their so-called teacher sat at her desk clearly nursing a hangover.  
>"You can never read too much Talcott Parsons." Naomi teased, earning a playful eye-roll from the other girl.<br>"You're such a nerd."  
>"Nerds are sexy." Naomi winked at her, smirking as Emily blushed and ducked her head to carry on reading.<br>"I give up." Emily re-read the same paragraph again and closed her book over before shoving it in her bag. "Fancy getting out of here?" Emily nodded slyly towards the door.  
>"What did you have in mind?" Naomi knew she was skating on thin ice. Skipping out on a lesson on her first day would certainly get her noticed, and going anywhere alone with the little redhead was just tempting fate; but then again their teacher was half comatose at her desk and probably wouldn't notice them slipping out anyway, and Naomi was hardly a new-born; she was fairly certain she could control herself around the other girl.<br>"I could take you for that ride?"

Emily didn't wait for answer. She silently slipped out of her seat and crept over to the door, managing to slip out unnoticed. Naomi followed her lead and found her waiting expectantly on the other side of the door. "Come on." Emily took her hand, their fingers entwining perfectly as the smaller girl dragged her down the corridor and out in to the car park. Once they reached the moped Emily let go of her hand and pulled a single helmet out from the storage box on the back, she tried to hand it to Naomi, but the blonde shook her head.

"You wear it. I don't want to mess up my hair." In truth if they were to crash Naomi would probably walk away unscathed, and even if she was hurt it wouldn't be anything a good feed wouldn't be able to cure.  
>"Ok. Hold on tight though." Emily climbed on the scooter first and Naomi didn't need to be told twice to climb on behind her and wrap her arms around her slim waist. Emily's skin was warm to the touch as her shirt ridded up and exposed the soft skin below to Naomi's curious fingers.<p>

Naomi's own skin was warm and soft to the touch. Contrary to popular belief vampires were not cold stone like creatures without a pulse. The only time a vampire's body would be noticeably cold would be when it was starving. In a similar way to the torporific survival process, something that bats could induce in their bodies, she could lower her metabolism, temperature and even heart rate in order to conserve energy until she could feed again. Living on pig's blood was a poor substitute for human blood and it meant vampires like her had to feed more often than _Sanguivores _who fed on humans. Naomi found herself needing at least a cup of blood a day to function properly. There had been more than a few times she had been caught short and had found her natural survival instincts kicking in. One advantage of a diet mainly consisting of blood though was that her weight had barely fluctuated in all the time she had been a vampire.

Emily stopped the moped outside of a café on a quiet street not far from the college. She expected the tiny girl to order a coffee, but once they were inside she asked the waitress for a plate of chips. Naomi politely declined when she offered to share them. "Where exactly do you put it? You've just had lunch!" The blonde teased as Emily tucked in to the pile of chips on her plate and washed them down with a milkshake.  
>"My dad owns a gym. I have a pretty fast metabolism from working out." She shrugged her slender shoulders and Naomi found herself discreetly scrutinising the other girl more closely. It was warm in the café and so Emily had removed her shirt, which left her sitting in a low cut vest top revealing well-toned arms. Contrary to her initial observation of Emily's slight build she realised the other girl clearly worked out. There was definitely some muscle definition to her upper arms, but it wasn't too over the top and it suited her small frame.<br>"It shows." Naomi complimented as she appraised her a little more openly. A delicious blush spread over Emily's pale cheeks once again.

"Nothing like a good workout to start the day." The other girl shot back with a cheeky grin.  
>"I wouldn't know. I don't really exercise." Vampires were naturally stronger than humans, and it took very little for them to keep up their bodies. Naomi could hold her own against any human, and even most vampires, so she had very little need to train her body, especially since she had given up hunting.<br>"Well you can't tell." Emily's eyes raked over the other girl in a less than subtle fashion. "You should come by the gym sometime. I can give you some personal training."  
>"I might just do that."<p>

They passed the afternoon in the café, exchanging small talk and drinking far too much coffee. It was almost dark outside when Emily's phone began ringing. She sighed as she checked the number that flashed up on screen. "Hi Dad…yeah, I know…I'm coming, ok? Sorry." She hung up and pocketed her phone. "Sorry, I've got to go. Can I drop you off somewhere?"  
>"I think it would be quicker if I walked home." Naomi laughed as Emily playfully shoved her in response on the way out the door.<br>"Hey, don't dis my ride. She's a beauty."  
>"She is." Naomi caught Emily's gaze and couldn't stop herself from stepping forward and kissing the smaller girl.<p>

Though it was Naomi who initiated the kiss it was Emily who took charge as she pressed up against the blonde, pushing her up against her moped. "Sorry." Emily was breathless as she finally pulled away and her heart was pounding against her chest, taunting Naomi's already almost unbearable hunger. "I don't know what it is about you that just makes me lose it." Naomi knew all too well what she was talking about. There was some sort of unexplainable bond between them that had Naomi's head spinning every time the little redhead was around.  
>"I'm not complaining." Naomi pressed another quick kiss to Emily's lips, forcing herself to pull back. "Catch you later, Ems."<p> 


	5. Chapter 5

"Good day love?" Gina beamed as Naomi slipped through the front door. "You're home late." Her grin widened as her nostrils flared and she picked up on Emily's scent.  
>"I went for a coffee with Emily." Naomi shrugged it off like it was no big thing, even though on the inside she was still giddy from kissing her. "Where's Kieran?"<br>"He's picking up a pizza and a bottle of wine."  
>"Oh. Look, what I said yesterday about you and him-"<br>"Naomi. I'm not delusional. I know he's going to grow old, and I know he's going to die. I think about it every day. How long we've got left together. You've never really been close to a human; you don't know what it's like to love something so fragile."

"I've had human friends!" Naomi objected, though she knew she had never exactly been too close to them. She had always been careful not to get too attached to a mortal; but that had been before Emily Fitch had come along. After only a couple of days the little redhead was all she could think about. It was a dangerous line to tread however as a vampire's hunger and their passion were so closely linked.

"So, when will Kieran and I get to meet this Emily anyway?" Gina quizzed, skilfully changing the conversation to avoid another argument. It worked. Naomi shrugged her slender shoulders as she helped herself to another container of blood from the fridge. The niggling pangs of hunger had started again in the pit of her stomach and she wanted to deal with them before they grew any stronger.  
>"I might invite her over one night." She tried to sound casual, but Gina had spent the better part of a century with her childe and could read her all too well.<br>"How about I make us a nice dinner tomorrow night?"  
>"Ok." Naomi relented, the idea of seeing Emily again outweighing any concerns she had about the other girl meeting her family. "Just don't embarrass me, ok?"<p>

"When have I ever embarrassed you?" The older blonde demanded with mock innocence. Naomi quirked her brow in response and began listing off dates and counting them on her hands.  
>"Paris Eighteen Ninety-Six, Cairo Eighteen Ninety-Seven, Florence the same year-"<br>"Alright smart arse. That's enough of that or I'll break out the baby photos tomorrow night!"  
>"Don't you think she'll wonder why they're over a hundred years old?" Naomi smirked. "Give me a shout when Kieran gets back, yeah?"<br>"Will do. You sure everything's alright love? You're feeding an awful lot lately…"  
>"I'm fine. I'm a growing girl mum. See you at dinner."<p>

Naomi escaped to the sanctuary of her room just as her phone started ringing. "Hello?" It wasn't a number she recognised.  
>"Hey, it's me. Emily." A gravelly voice that could only belong to the little redhead greeted her in response, instantly putting a smile on her face.<br>"Emily…is that the cute blonde with the big-"  
>"Hanging up now." Emily teased from the other end of the line.<br>"Oh, that Emily. Feisty little redhead, great kisser?" Emily fell silent, Naomi knew she was still there though; she could imagine she was blushing.  
>"Not too bad yourself." Emily finally replied, her confidence slowly returning. "I was just wondering if you wanted a ride to school tomorrow?"<br>"Yeah, thanks. I'll text you my address. I hope your dad wasn't too pissed about you being late."  
>"He was fine. I just help out at the gym sometimes. I'm hiding in the locker room as we speak." She chuckled down the phone. "I've got to go. I'll see you tomorrow. Bright and early."<br>"Can't wait."

The night passed agonizingly slowly as she had dinner with Kieran and Gina while watching a few films. The rate at which human technology had advanced in the time Naomi had been alive never ceased to astound her. Naomi had been fifteen years old when Lumiere had designed his Cinematographe. He had famously declared the cinema to be an invention without a future. Unlike Naomi, Lumiere had not lived long enough to be proven wrong. The world had changed an awful lot since Naomi's time, but vampires were agile adaptors and learnt to move with the times. All except Gina of course who still had no idea how to work their DVD player and thought BlackBerrys and Apple Macs were fruit.

The younger blonde felt more and more restless as the night grew on. She considered texting Cook to see if he had gone out, though she knew from experience Cook was a creature of habit and could be found in a pub or club the moment it grew dark. She resisted the temptation to go out, too unnerved by her odd mood and growing hunger to allow herself out, and instead chose to have an early night. Her body shut down instantly, but her mind was still racing. Emily and Cook spent the night warring for her attention in her dreams before her inner alarm clock finally kicked in and drew her slowly back to consciousness.

It was grey and overcast outside, preventing any harsh light from streaming in through her window. The blonde took a few moments to collect her senses before forcing her stiff limbs in to carrying her to the bathroom. Once she had stepped under the warm spray of the shower it brought her round from the daze she had woken up in and she was able to pull on some clothes and fix her hair before Emily pulled up on the moped. The other girl was early and Naomi had to down the blood she had warmed for herself in one go before blasting the mug under the sink and swilling her mouth with water to remove any trace of the sticky red nectar she had been indulging on. She got to the door a second too late to find her mother opening it to great Emily.  
>"Hi. I'm Emily, you must be Mrs Campbell?" Emily's big brown eyes and wide smile were the epitome of innocence and Gina was instantly taken with her.<br>"No need for all that dear, call me Gina. Come on in! We'll get you some breakfast, I've made pancakes!" As Gina herded Emily in to the kitchen Naomi flashed an apologetic smile and mouthed 'sorry'.

Emily happily let Gina load her plate up as she shared out the pancakes between Kieran, Emily and Gina. "Aren't you having some?" Emily quizzed as she tucked in to the mountain stacked on her plate. Gina had never quite got the hang of portion size, as Kieran's increasingly growing stomach proved. Naomi shook her head and cradled her mug in her hands, wishing it contained something far more appealing than milky coffee. "These are wonderful Mrs Campbell, um, I mean Gina."  
>"Thank you dear. You should come round for tea. I'm making Lasagne." Gina beamed as she fussed over the little redhead, filling up a glass of orange juice and putting it down in front of her before adding more pancakes to her plate. Emily dutifully ate everything the older blonde put on her plate, making Naomi wonder just how much Emily worked out to have such a high metabolism.<br>"Oh, I can't tonight. Maybe another night?" She flashed a hopeful smile in Naomi's direction and the younger blonde tried not to let her disappointment show.  
>"Whenever." Naomi shrugged, though it was a little late to start playing hard to get considering the day before she had pushed Emily up against her moped and had kissed her until they were both breathless.<p>

The thought of Emily's lips, of her small body trapped between Naomi's and the bike, sent Naomi's mind racing and she excused herself from the kitchen to get her stuff for college. As she rummaged around her room for the books she needed she heard footsteps coming up the stairs. She hid a smile as her bedroom door opened and Emily softly padded in to the room. "Sorry, I was looking for the bathroom." She apologised but made no attempt to move.  
>"Second door on the right." Naomi closed the distance between them and pointed at a door over the smaller girl's shoulder.<br>"My mistake." Emily mumbled even as Naomi's lips sought her own out. Naomi had intended to steal a quick kiss, but once Emily started kissing her back she couldn't help herself. The smaller girl's arms wrapped around her neck, encouraging her to continue. It was only as she felt a familiar growl building up in her throat that she pulled back.  
>"Fuck. Sorry." She apologised, but from the smile on Emily's face she could tell it wasn't needed. The redhead planted a quick peck on her cheek before ducking out of her reach.<br>"Stop apologising. Come on; don't want to be late for your second day." She held out her hand for the blonde to take and Naomi eagerly slipped their fingers together as she took it.  
>"Thought you needed the bathroom?" Naomi quizzed as Emily led them straight downstairs. She threw a cheeky smile over her shoulder, confirming Naomi's suspicions that she hadn't just accidentally walked in to her room.<p>

With a quick goodbye to Gina and Kieran, with Gina smirking as she picked up on Emily's scent all over her daughter, they left the house for college. Emily had thought ahead and had brought a spare helmet for the blonde, insisting she wear it. She put up no argument as she slipped on the moped behind Emily, her arms wrapping around the other girl's waist. Emily's body pressed against hers was definitely becoming her new favourite feeling in the world. The ride to Round View was far too short and before long Naomi was slipping off the bike. She missed the physical contact immediately and had to shove her hands in to the pockets of her jacket to stop from reaching out for the other girl. She had no idea what hold the tiny human girl had over her, but she felt her control slowly slipping. "We going through the front door, or scaling the fire exit to avoid Mandy?" She teased as Emily took the spare helmet from her. She rolled her eyes and they fell in to step walking towards the front door.  
>"She's never in this early. Though usually I'd climb up the drain pipe and then free-climb to the third floor English window just in case."<br>"Don't let me stop you."  
>"I'll give it a miss. Big breakfast this morning." Emily giggled at the look the blonde shot her. "What? I'm a growing girl! I need four square meals a day."<br>"Pancakes are round." The blonde pointed out with a smirk.  
>"Cute." Emily shook her head, but there was a grin on her face as they walked down to her locker. She shoved both helmets inside and wrestled the door shut.<p>

She bit her lip as she turned her attention back to the blonde. "This is nice. I mean…talking to you…fuck, I sound like such a dick." She shook her head and tried to hide behind her hands. Naomi stepped forward and took her hands away from her face. She pressed the briefest of kisses to her lips, enjoying the way Emily arched up to her touch.  
>"Good morning." Effy Stonem appeared out of nowhere behind them. Naomi had to hand it to her, the girl was good. She hadn't even heard her approaching; though she had been somewhat distracted by the little redhead.<br>"Morning Eff." Emily's cheeks were flushed at being caught kissing the other girl. "Katie not with you?"  
>"She's your shadow. Not mine." Effy quipped. "Can I have a word?" Naomi took the hint and hefted her bag over her shoulder.<br>"I need to go see Kieran. I'll see you later Ems." Naomi left the two girls to talk, though even as she reached Kieran's classroom she could pick up on their conversation in the relatively empty college.

"So what happened to staying away from girls until uni?" Effy teased the smaller girl. "I thought Mandy had scared you off for life?"  
>"She had." Emily sighed, but then her tone grew lighter. "I dunno. Naomi's just <em>different<em>. Have you ever met someone and just thought _I have to fuck that girl_?"  
>"Emily Fitch!" Effy laughed, not used to the other girl being so abrupt. "Only your sister." She chuckled as Emily scrunched up her face.<br>"How's that going anyway? You trying to fuck my sister."  
>"Not so well." Effy admitted. "She's a real stickler for this being straight thing."<br>"My homophobic sister straight? Who'd have thought it?"  
>"I'm wearing her down." Effy objected, a hint of a pout in her tone.<p>

"You eavesdropping?" Kieran knew what Naomi was up to as she hovered by his classroom door. She rolled her eyes at him as he unlocked the door and followed him inside. "Got you something. Your mum was worried about you rushing breakfast. So, there you are." He pulled out a thermos from his briefcase and Naomi's eyes lit up. She took it from him and sat on his desk as she slowly savoured her second breakfast. The pig's blood still tasted like swill, but it took the edge off her hunger. As much as Naomi hated the way Gina fussed over her she was grateful for the extra nourishment.  
>"Thanks." She knew how much Kieran hated blood. It had taken a lot for him to bring it in for her.<br>"So, where's the little one gone? Your mum likes her." Her surrogate father sat with his own thermos, filled with coffee and, knowing Kieran, probably more than a dash of whisky.

"Naomikins! Where were you hiding last night- Oh, alright sir?" Cook came to a halt at the classroom door as he spotted Kieran at his desk. He frowned as he sniffed out the flask of blood in the blonde's hands.  
>"It's ok. Cook this is Kieran. Mum's boyfriend. Kieran this is James Cook." Kieran had heard Cook's name mentioned before. Though he had some idea about Naomi's past he did not know everything; just enough to make him wary of the young vampire holding his hand out to him. He shook his hand with a polite tight lipped smile.<br>"Cook, I've heard a lot about you."  
>"Yeah, well only half of it is true. Promise." Cook's boyish charm was a natural defence. Kieran wasn't fooled by it. He knew exactly what Cook was and what he was capable of. Thankfully Emily and Effy chose that moment to walk in to the classroom, interrupting the awkward introductions. Emily smiled sheepishly at the blonde as she took a seat beside her, as though Naomi might have suddenly changed her mind about liking the other girl in the short time they had been apart. For all the human girl's front she was quite insecure. Naomi took her hand under the table and gave it a reassuring squeeze. Instantly Emily's face lit up.<p>

Slowly the classroom began to fill up and Cook's friends began filling the back two tables. Panda and Thomas were still inseparable as they took a seat next to Effy. Panda had obviously had some sort of sugar coated cereal as she was once again hyper and firing questions at Naomi. She asked the same sort of questions Emily had, how she knew Cook, why she'd moved from Ireland, why she didn't sound Irish etc. Mercifully Effy asked her something about her coursework, distracting her from the new girl. Naomi shot her a grateful smile. She turned to speak to Emily, but Cook beat her to it."Hey Red, where's Katiekins?"  
>"She's not feeling well." Emily shrugged, offering up no more information.<br>"Is your mum working today?" Effy quizzed, a thoughtful expression on her face as though she was plotting something.  
>"Yeah she's at the salon till five. Why?"<p>

Effy tucked her bag over her shoulder and got to her feet with a smirk. "I think I'll go pay her a visit."  
>"Off to play doctor?" Cook teased as he thrust his hips suggestively, earning a scowl from Emily. She shook her head as she fished her keys out of her bag and tossed them to Effy.<br>"She went back to bed. Let yourself in."  
>"Will do." Effy winked at her before slipping out of the classroom.<p>

"Does Effy have a thing for Katie?" Naomi asked, trying to sound surprised. She didn't want the other girl knowing she had been listening in on her and Effy's conversation. The rest of the group didn't seem fazed.  
>"I came out last year. My family didn't take it too well, Katie especially...She was a bit of a bitch actually. Said it wasn't normal for me to fancy girls. Effy was a godsend, she really helped me out...she kept trying it on with Katie, they've had this thing going on since last Summer, Katie's too scared to admit it though."<br>"It must have been hard." Naomi sympathised with the younger girl. "Having your family turn against you just for following what's in your nature."  
>"Was your mum ok? When you came out? I mean she knows doesn't she?"<br>"She knows." Naomi chuckled. When Naomi had first been turned Gina had dazzled her with the sights of Europe and had exposed her to a world she had never known existed. She had been courting a young doctor before she had been turned and they had shared little more than a chaste kiss. The men and women of the continent had proved far more forward and enticing. Naomi had never needed to hide her sexuality from her creator. Her biological family probably would have reacted much the same as Emily's though.

Effy slipped the youngest twin's house key in to the lock of the Fitch's front door and let herself in to the house. Kicking her boots off at the front door she silently padded upstairs and made her way to the room the twin's shared. Katie was tucked up in bed, just as Emily had said she would be. Effy perched on the side of Katie's bed and quietly watched her sleeping. Her fingers reached out and brushed the other girl's loose curls out of her face. She stirred and rolled over, cuddling in to Effy. Her eyes opened slowly as Effy placed gentle kisses along her jaw. "Fuck let you in?" Katie grumbled as she rolled over to face away from the other girl and pulled the duvet over her head.  
>"Emily gave me her keys." Effy answered simply as she yanked the covers away from Katie and began kissing her neck.<br>"Fucker." She muttered, though she relented a bit as she craned her neck forward, giving Effy more access. She lay down beside the oldest twin and wrapped her arms around her waist, pulling her back against her. "She all over that fucking blonde again?"  
>"Naomi seems ok." Effy shrugged, though she knew better than to argue with Katie. She was lucky she wasn't being kicked out of her bed to start with.<br>"Well why don't you go fuck her then?" Katie snapped. She sat up intending to get out of bed, but Effy stopped her by straddling her waist. She kissed Katie firmly on the lips and smirked as the other girl began kissing her back.  
>"I'd rather be fucking you."<br>"Not gonna happen Stonem."  
>"That's what you said about kissing me."<p>

**A/N: **Managed a bit of a longer update this time and still no sparkling vampires! There is however Keffy, which I probably should have mentioned earlier but I wasn't sure whether I was going to include it or not. Once again thanks to everyone who's reading and to those reviewing!


	6. Chapter 6

"Cut it out Eff." Katie slapped the other girl's hand away as it tried to slip below the waistband of her pyjama shorts. "I'm not in the mood for pissing about." She rolled over in bed and pulled the covers over her head. Effy was still pressed up behind her in the single bed and placed her hands somewhere safer; around the smaller girl's waist.  
>"That's all we do though, isn't it? Piss about."<br>"For fucks sake!" Katie rolled over to face her again and claimed her lips, taking Effy by surprise. Her lips were soft and insistent as they battled against Effy's. The covers fell away as she pushed herself up and straddled the other girl.

Effy's hands ran up the smooth skin of Katie's bare legs. Her skin was still hot and clammy from sleep and Effy was painfully aware of how those lean legs were wrapped tightly around her own hips. Katie's long locks tickled against her cheek as her tongue brushed against her lip, begging the older twin to take things further. She got her wish as Katie's lips parted. She nipped playfully at her bottom lip before brushing her tongue softly against Effy's. The action had the desired effect as Effy's hips bucked beneath her and a low growl built up in her throat. Her fingers tangled in Katie's hair as she crushed their lips together again.  
>"You're trying to kill me Fitch." She sighed breathlessly as they finally pulled away. Her lips lingered as she pressed soft kisses along Katie's jaw. Her hands were restless as they went from her hair to her hips and lingered at her waistband.<br>"I'm not ready Eff. Not yet. Please, can we just...can we keep things like this? Just for now?"

Effy cupped Katie's face in her hands as she stared her in the eye. "Whatever you say." As frustrating as whatever she and Katie had it was better than nothing. It had started out as a simple kiss, an attempt to show Katie that Emily was not a freak, that it was perfectly normal for two girls to kiss. Effy hadn't intended it to turn in to anything more, but after that first kiss, when Katie had freaked out and refused to speak to her for days, she hadn't been able to stop thinking about doing it again.

Katie had slowly come around to Effy's charms, but in the six months since their first kiss they were still in limbo, while they weren't together Katie had gone in her fare share of huffs whenever Effy pulled in a club or had shown an interest in anyone else. Satisfied by her answer Katie lay back down in bed and pulled the covers over them, keeping herself cuddled in to the other girl's side. "Why are you bunking off anyway?"  
>"Dad had us training late again last night. Couldn't be fucked with college this morning."<br>"Emily seemed ok." Effy shrugged. Even before she had finished saying it she knew it was the wrong thing to say. Katie bristled instantly, once again pulling away from her.

"Yeah well she fucking loves it doesn't she? I'd rather not spend my nights in the gym! Besides she couldn't get out quick enough to go see that peroxide bitch."  
>"She seems ok."<br>"Please." Katie snapped and once again Effy was aware she had said the wrong thing. The oldest twin was likely to be in a huff with her for the rest of the day. "She's fucking weird. I don't like her."  
>"You don't like anyone." Effy sighed and kicked the covers aside to get out of the bed. If she left straight away she could probably meet the others for lunch. She was stopped in her tracks as Katie's fingers clamped around her waist.<br>"That's not true. I fucking like you, ok?"

"Hey, where'd you two get to?" Emily greeted Naomi and Cook as they took a seat beside her on the grass out in front of the college. They'd both disappeared at the start of lunch to feed, leaving Emily with JJ, Panda and Thomas. Cook had fed on human blood and had a rosy glow to his cheeks as he lay carefree on the grass with his hands behind his head. Naomi had settled for another flask of pig's blood and her stomach was churning. She didn't get a chance to answer Emily as the other girl got to her feet and held out her hand. "I was supposed to be finishing off your tour." Naomi was fairly certain she had seen everything that Roundview had to offer, but she followed her nonetheless. Her curiosity was rewarded as Emily led her to an empty classroom.  
>"And what part of the tour is this?" Naomi chuckled as Emily closed the door behind them. She perched on the end of the closest desk with her arms folded across her chest.<br>"This is the History classroom. We're in here next."  
>"Class doesn't start for another twenty minutes..."<br>"Doesn't it?" A sly smile spread across the smaller girl's lips as she walked up to the blonde and stood between her legs. "I'm sure we can think of something to keep us busy till then."

She stood on the tips of her toes to reach up and kiss her, as she did so her shirt rode up, exposing the bare skin around her midriff to Naomi's hands. "Do you give all the new girls this tour?" Naomi giggled as Emily scowled at her and tried to pull away. She yanked her back by her shirt and kissed her until she was smiling again.  
>"It's not like I meet strange girls and bring them up here all the time." Emily pouted, her arms had found their way around the other girl's neck, keeping their heads so close together that Emily's chain was pressing against the blonde's chest. The metal was cold against her skin and a complete contrast to the warm blooded girl in her arms.<br>"Oi! I'm not strange! I'm perfectly normal. In fact I'm so normal I'm dull actually." The last thing she wanted was for Emily to find out what she was. While there were humans like Kieran, who could accept the things that lurked in the dark, the majority of teenage girls would not take finding out vampires were real very well. Especially if they'd just been kissing one.

"Well I don't think your dull." Emil's lips grazed teasingly against Naomi's as she spoke and all the blonde could think about was reversing their positions so she could pin the smaller girl to the desk and taste those ruby red lips until her own were too numb to feel anything any more. Another, smaller, part of her wanted to pin her down and sink her fangs in to the soft milky flesh of her throat; thankfully she was old enough to control herself and refrained from doing either. "I don't know what it is, I just can't stop thinking about you. I know it probably sounds weird-" Naomi silenced her with another kiss, a slow lingering kiss that sent her pulse racing beneath Naomi's fingertips.

They were eventually interrupted by the rest of the students filing in to the classroom a few moments before the bell. Naomi was glad for the distraction as they took their seats at the back of the class. Her own heart was pounding and the blood in her body was pumping so quickly that it was leaving her light headed. "You ok?" Cook could read her agitation as she sat twirling her pen and absently staring out of the window. Beside her Emily's leg was pressed up against her own and a steady fort-nine heartbeats were pulsing through her every minute. It wasn't a welcome distraction.  
>"Fine." Naomi grumbled, trying to block out the steady drumming of the younger girl's heart and still appear to be listening to what the pompous overweight bald man who was supposed to be teaching them was saying. He caught her whispering to Cook and his beady little eyes narrowed on her.<br>"Well Miss..." He checked his class register for the newest name before finishing. "Campbell is it? I suppose you can tell us all about the Blitz in Bristol in nineteen forty-one?" He said it in a confidently smug way; not expecting her answer.

She stared at him for a few moments before letting out the breath she had been holding in since he had addressed her in front of the rest of the class. "January the third, nineteen forty-one, the blitz lasted twelve hours. The docks and railway station were targeted. One hundred and forty-nine people were killed, and a further one hundred and thirty-three were injured. The Germans dropped a 4000lb bomb that didn't explode. The people of Bristol nicknamed it Satan and it was paraded at the nineteen forty-five victory parade in London...anything else you want to know, sir?" The man stood floundering at the front of the classroom, his smirk wiped clean off his face as the rest of the students muttered to themselves.  
>"Hell of a party." Cook winked at her, his meaning lost on the others at their table. Naomi cringed and tried not to think of how many people had lost their lives at the hands of vampires during the war. In those days people disappeared all the time. The streets of the larger cities had been like buffet's for the vampire population and no one had batted an eyelid. Even the Hunters had been distracted by the human war. Many Hunters had been wiped out by the second World War, leaving their numbers few. Those left behind had been either too old or too young to fight for their country, and too weak to survive against a vampire attack.<p>

Cook of course had been talking about the victory parades after the war, but whenever Naomi thought back to the war all she could think of was the mayhem and destruction of the time. She had turned Cook in Nineteen Forty-one, not long after the January third Blitz. He had completed his basic training and was to be shipped off to the front line within the week. He had narrowly missed being blown to bits during an air raid and had been boasting to Naomi about being immortal. A few hours later and he had lived to regret the chat up line.

When Naomi had been turned she had had Gina to guide her, to teach her right from wrong and to show her a way to survive without killing. When Cook had been turned he'd only had Naomi for guidance and at the time she had been far from a good role model. Every person he had ever killed rested on her conscience; and Naomi had killed enough herself without the extra guilt. She had taken her first taste of human blood in the late twenties and for over fifty years she had been a bloodthirsty killer. Gina had been her salvation in the eighties and she had spent almost three decades trying to repent for what she had done. Abandoning Cook had been part of making things right with Gina; as had returning to abstinence when it came to feeding on humans.

The teacher quickly began rambling on about the blitz again, ignoring the way Naomi had back answered him all together, leaving the blonde to wallow in her thoughts. Cook was still and silent for the rest of the lesson too, his mind obviously back in the forties. When the bell for the end of the lesson rang Naomi was ready to run out the door, she needed some time to herself, but she waited for Emily to slowly pack up her things. Cook shot her a meaningful look before slipping out of the class with JJ and Panda.

"So I'll pick you up at the same time tomorrow?" Emily quizzed as they walked out of the college and in to the car park. Naomi had been silent since leaving the classroom and the younger girl was clearly concerned.  
>"Hmm? Yeah. Sure."<br>"Are you ok ?" Emily stopped in her tracks and took hold of her hand to stop the blond too. Concern was etched all over her young face. Naomi managed a small smile as she took hold of the smaller girl's chin and tipped it up to place a kiss on her lips.

"I'm fine. I'll see you tomorrow...unless you've reconsidered dinner tonight?" As much as she was craving some time alone she also didn't want to have to wait until the morning to see Emily again.  
>"I can't." Emily sighed, her hand still holding on to Naomi's as she leant against her moped. "I've got to go to the doctor's at four and then training with dad and Katie...how about tomorrow night?"<br>"It's a date."

Naomi waited until Emily had ridden off to skulk over to the gates where Cook was waiting for her. "Pint?" It was more of a statement than a question and the blonde blindly followed him to the nearest pub. It was the type of run down dive that Naomi had always known Cook to drink in. He seemed familiar with the ageing landlord as he ordered two pints at the bar and brought them over to the table they had claimed in the corner. It was the middle of the afternoon and the place was relatively empty save for the landlord and two old men playing dominoes. The place seemed familiar, but Naomi couldn't place it. Cook saw her brain ticking over.

"Place we first met." His voice was gruff as he picked up his pint glass and for a second his eyes betrayed his years. "Keith's granddad owned the place back then. Still smells like piss."  
>"I'm sorry." Naomi sighed in to her own pint as she nursed it in her hands. "For fucking your life up."<br>"Fuck off Blondie! If it hadn't been for you I'd have ended up dead in some ditch in France." He scoffed and shook his head. "I miss it you know, me and you, and...well, it's not the same now is it?"  
>"Now we're not killing anyone?" Naomi snapped. While Cook had stopped killing he was still feeding from humans and a big part of Naomi was jealous that he still could. She couldn't risk feeding on human blood again for fear she wouldn't be able to stop. And of course Gina wouldn't give her yet another chance.<p>

Cook scowled at her, his rugged good looks scrunching up in anger. "I didn't fucking mean that did I? I meant not having the clan anymore. The four of us, we were good Naomi-kins. We had good times, you can't just fucking re-write history and pretend otherwise." Naomi reluctantly nodded. She couldn't deny that she had missed her clan. They had been like a second family; or a third if she counted her human family too.  
>"Times change Cook."<br>"Tell me about. You used to be fun babes." He slammed his empty pint glass back down on to the table with a grimace. "If you'll excuse me I'm off to find me a happy meal with long legs and big tits. I know it's not your scene anymore." He left the bar in a huff, leaving Naomi to finish her warm watered down pint alone. Part of her was tempted to follow him, to kick his arse for talking to his maker like that. In the past she could and would have; but living on a diet of pig's blood left her much weaker than vampires who fed on humans and sadly her childe, at less than half her age, could have easily beaten her senseless. Not that Cook ever would. He was still angry that she had chosen Gina over him, but above all else she was still his creator and that bond was unbreakable. Naomi knew that better than anyone. For all she had put Gina through over the years her mother had never abandoned her.


	7. Chapter 7

Naomi had felt restless ever since her fight with Cook. He was right. She was a terrible sire. She had turned him without his consent, taught him a life of murder and mayhem and then turned her back on him when Gina had offered her absolution. She had looked down her nose at the monster she had created. Cook couldn't help what he was, what Naomi had made him in to. He had stopped killing, even before the treaty between the vampires and the Hunters. Despite his dubious upbringing he was trying to make a better man of himself.

Naomi knew what it felt like to miss her maker, she understood why he was mad with her for leaving him and how eager he was to rekindle their bond, but she wasn't the same woman who had seduced him in a smoky, run down bar in the east end of London and then drained him dry. The woman who had proudly taught him to stalk and kill and reaped the benefits of his persuasive charm when it came to luring pretty young things to their deaths. Naomi couldn't hunt any more. She couldn't feed on what, or who, she wanted; and part of her despised Cook for it. He was free to indulge in his nature, while she had to cage her own.

She had stayed in the pub Cook had left her in and drank herself stupid. Of course a vampire's metabolism was much faster than a human being's and even as she stumbled home through the streets of Bristol she was beginning to sober up. Though she was still comfortably buzzed as she approached her street and found a young man slumped on a low wall. He held his head in his hands and reeked of cheap whisky. He was a good looking kid in his early twenties. His lips stretched up in to a smile as he looked up and caught her staring at him. "Hi there." He leered at her with a cocky smirk as he eyed her up and down. Naomi was an attractive girl and she knew it; but even without her looks the young man would have been enthralled by her. Vampires were natural predators and everything about them was meant to entice their prey. Even if a vampire was pig ugly humans would be drawn to them. They just couldn't help themselves. "Pretty little thing like you shouldn't be out by yourself this time of night." He got to his feet and staggered towards her, a hungry gaze in his eyes. It was nothing compared to the one Naomi gave him back. It had been so very long since she had last fed from a living thing; since she had felt fresh hot sticky blood pouring in to her open mouth.

She chuckled at him, her laughter soft and innocent to his ignorant ears. When he looked at her he saw a cute blonde eyeing him up; not a deadly predator sizing him up. He was one of those modern metrosexual men who wore skinny jeans and pink T-shirts. There wasn't an ounce of fat or muscle on him. It would take mere seconds to bring him down and sink her fangs in to his neck. "You up for a party?" He pulled out a small bag of white powder as he stumbled even closer. His breath was putrid and turned her stomach as he leant in close. Regardless of his personal hygiene issues Naomi was still craving his blood as her fangs began to cut through her gums. She was a heartbeat away from tearing his throat open when a familiar scent washed over her. _Emily._

"Oi!" The guy grumbled as she shoved him backwards, sending him flying back in to a rose bush.  
>"Count yourself lucky." She growled at him and for just a second her true nature shone through her eyes. He fell as silent as the grave as he sat in a puddle of his own piss, cowering at the deadly sight him. Naomi left him to his own devices as she began tracking Emily's all too familiar scent. She was close by. Two, maybe three streets over. She had unwillingly saved the young man's life; endangering her own in the process. Naomi had spent decades fighting her nature, her need for human blood, and in a few days Emily had destroyed all that hard work. The girl was irresistible and the blonde couldn't separate her desire for her from her lust for her blood.<p>

The alcohol induced haze she had been in quickly wore off as she slipped in to her hunting mode, silently and effortlessly slipping in to the shadows as she stalked her prey. She was going to feed off Emily Fitch. She was like an alcoholic who had suddenly been handed an open bottle of vintage red wine and the sweet aroma was intoxicating. She found Emily two streets over, sitting on a swing in a child's play park. She was oblivious to Naomi watching her from the bushes, and even as she crept forward Emily didn't notice. She was lost in a world of her own as she gently swung back and forward, kicking her little legs out to keep up the momentum. "Need a push?"  
>"Christ!" Emily jumped from the swing with surprising agility. She landed neatly with a roll and spun around to face Naomi in one single fluid motion. Naomi would have been impressed if she hadn't been so preoccupied with her racing heart. Fear made the blood so much sweeter. Emily's entire body relaxed as she realised it was just Naomi. "You scared me! What are you doing out here? I thought you were out with Cook?"<br>"He got a better offer." Naomi shrugged as she pushed the swing Emily had just jumped from, sending it swinging back and forth as she slowly walked around the metal frame of the swing, closing in on the younger girl.

"I doubt it." Emily smiled up at her with that sweet trusting smile of hers. Her eyes were a little glazed over and her movements weren't as fluid as Naomi had first thought. Now that the adrenaline had worn off she was struggling to stand upright. Emily was drunk. Defenceless and drunk all alone in a park in the middle of the night. Anything could happen.

"Never mind me. What are you doing here at this time of night?" Somehow Emily's helplessness was more irritating than exciting. The blonde found herself scowling as she pulled off her hoodie and wrapped it around Emily's shoulders. Her skin was freezing cold to the touch.  
>"Needed to clear my head." Emily pulled the jacket around herself as she began to shiver, as though she had only just realised it was bordering on freezing outside. Emily had only succeeded in clouding her head more than anything. "Katie's a bitch." She grumbled as though that would explain everything.<p>

Naomi's entire attitude had changed in a matter of minutes. She no longer wanted to feed from Emily, she wanted to protect her from the big bad creatures lurking in the dark. Creatures like Naomi. "Come on. I live nearby." She took hold of Emily's hand like it was the most natural thing in the world and led her back to her house. The house was in total darkness when Naomi opened the front door and slipped inside with Emily in-toe. Gina and Kieran were asleep so Naomi could at least put off her mother meeting Emily for another few hours. Keeping the lights off she effortlessly navigated the stairs and led Emily to her room. She switched on the small bedside lamp as Emily let herself drop on to the bed. The soft light illuminated Emily's fragile frame. Her small body took up a surprising amount of space as she lay spread across the bed. Across Naomi's bed.

The blonde felt her hunger rearing it's ugly head as her lust for the redhead increased ten-fold. She was torn between ripping her throat out and ripping her clothes off. Neither was a very safe option. "I'll be right back." She excused herself to go get some blood from the fridge. She drank two pints before she filled a glass full of water and went back upstairs to see to Emily. She had drank so much blood that her stomach was ready to burst. Her hunger for Emily's blood had died down after her midnight meal, but her lust for her body was far from satisfied as she walked back in to her room and found Emily stripping off. She had her back to her as she shimmied out of her jeans. She already had her top and bra off and the soft smooth skin of her back was on show for Naomi's viewing. It took all of her will power to keep from reaching out and running her hands down Emily's sides. She cleared her throat as she pulled a T-shirt out from her chest of drawers and held it out for the other girl.  
>"Thanks." Emily looked over her shoulder and shot Naomi a shy awkward smile as she took hold of the of the offered T-shirt. She seemed a little more steady on her feet as she pulled the shirt over her head. It was big on Naomi, which was exactly why she had chosen it for Emily. It hung just above the smaller girl's knees.<p>

Naomi changed in to a pair of shorts and a vest as Emily climbed in to her bed. As Naomi slipped in beside her she could already smell Emily's scent on her sheets. It would linger there for days. "You're hot." Emily mumbled as she rolled over and buried her face in the crook of Naomi's neck.  
>"You're not too bad yourself." Naomi chuckled, earning a playful dig from the other girl.<br>"I meant you feel warm."

Naomi had drank enough to raise her body temperature by a few degrees, making her skin hot to the touch. She was at least warming Emily up, who had stopped shivering and was lying still and silent beside her. She wasn't sleeping though, her breathing was erratic, not the steady rhythm it would be if she were asleep. Naomi stiffened as Emily's lips moved, placing soft teasing kisses up her throat and along her jaw. Naomi's body betrayed her as her arms slipped around the smaller girl and pulled her on top of her. Her lips found Emily's as she began kissing her, softly at first, until Emily deepened the kiss and what little control Naomi had began to slip. She ran her hands up Emily's sides, under her shirt, delighting in the way Emily sighed in to her mouth. She wanted the little red head so badly. She wanted to taste every inch of her; inside and out.

She pulled her lips away from Emily's and kissed down her neck, her tongue darted out of its own accord, giving her a hint of the taste she so desperately craved. Her teeth followed her tongue, nipping softly at the sensitive flesh. It had the desired effect as Emily let out a low moan and her hips bucked forward. Their eyes locked as Naomi slowly pushed up her t-shirt and trailed a path of kisses down her stomach, alternating between kissing and biting. Emily's fingers tangled in her hair, tugging almost painfully. The pain was good. It kept her focused. Less than an hour ago she had been ready to sink her fangs in to the other girl and drain her dry. She had to keep herself focused on not biting down too hard as she nipped at Emily's flesh, if she broke the skin and tasted a single drop of the other girl's blood she would loose her control completely.

She couldn't take things too far. She knew she wasn't stable enough for that. If she got too worked up she could hurt Emily; or worse kill her. With great difficulty she managed to tear herself away and pull Emily's t-shirt back down. The younger girl pouted as she tried to steal another kiss. Naomi obliged but caught her hand as it travelled down between their entwined bodies. "Please." She mumbled as Naomi pulled away and manoeuvred them so that they were spooning. She wrapped her arms around Emily's waist, not only cuddling in to her, but pinning the other girl's wandering hands to her sides.  
>"I want this." The smaller girl grumbled as she squirmed in Naomi's arms, trying to free herself. "I want you."<br>"You're drunk." Naomi objected as she pressed her lips to Emily's throat, trying to ignore the slow steady beat of her heart. "Besides, I'll still be here in the morning."


	8. Chapter 8

Naomi let out a heavy sigh as she listened to Emily's phone ring for the seventh time since dawn. She had been tempted to answer it for her, as Emily slept on oblivious to just how obnoxious her ring tone was, but it had been her father all seven times and she hadn't wanted to get the other girl in to trouble. Emily finally stirred as the phone rang an eighth time. She fished it out from under her pillow and pressed it to her ear, giving her father a groggy "Hello?" Her voice was thick with sleep and Naomi much preferred the deliciously husky tone of her voice to the obnoxious music on her phone. "I'm fine, I'm at a friend's house...I know I should have called. I'm sorry dad. I'll be home straight after school. Bye." She rolled her eyes as she flopped back on to the pillows and tossed her phone aside.

She smiled up at Naomi sheepishly as she realised the blonde was awake and staring down at her. "Good morning." It certainly was. Naomi had the little red head lying beside her, her hair a tussled mess from sleep and an affectionate smile on her lips. She looked good enough to eat. Except Naomi hadn't woken up with the desire to feed on her. It seemed spending the night beside her had gotten the blonde over her blood lust. Of course as soon as she spent some time apart from her the desire to feed on her would return upon meeting again. They'd be fine if Naomi could just convince Emily to stay with her all the time.

"Morning." Naomi smiled back at her, but made no move to initiate anything. She waited for Emily to make the first move; she didn't have long to wait. Emily's lips were soft as she pressed them against Naomi's. Her body was warm as Naomi's arms slipped around it, pulling her in closer. The smaller girl was practically lying on top of her as they finally pulled apart. "Thanks for last night. For letting me stay."  
>"Any time." Naomi was aware her hands had casually found their way under the smaller girl's shirt and were drawing lazy circles on her skin. Emily didn't seem to mind as she lay on top of her, her face nuzzled in to her neck, every breath tickling the blonde's ear. Naomi had never felt so at ease around a human being since before she had been turned. It felt nice. Easy.<p>

"Naomi get your lazy arse out of...oh, hello." Gina stood at Naomi's open door, grinning like a mad woman at Emily who had sheepishly pulled the covers tighter around herself and shifted away from Naomi. "Sorry dear, I didn't realise you had company." Her mother would have picked up on Emily's scent everywhere from the front door up to her room. She knew exactly what she was doing when she had walked in on them.

"Hi Mrs Campbell." Emily found her voice and greeted the older blonde with a wary smile. Obviously unsure of how she would take finding her daughter in bed with another girl.  
>"Oh please, call me Gina. Everybody does. And you must be Emily. Will you be staying for breakfast dear?"<br>"If it's no trouble?"  
>"None at all dear. You two just come down when you're ready."<p>

Emily's cheeks were as red as her hair when Gina finally closed the door, leaving them in peace. She buried her face in Naomi's shoulder and groaned. "Your mum's going to think we..." she trailed off and cleared her throat as her husky voice cracked, obviously flustered by how close they had come the night before. "I'm sorry about last night, I was drunk and-" Naomi cut her off with a kiss to her lips. What started off as gently pressing their lips together quickly turned in to a fierce kiss as Emily rolled back on top of her. Naomi's hands found the hem of her t-shirt and were pulling it up over her head before Emily could even blink. She berated herself for moving too quickly and forced herself to slow down, the last thing she wanted was to hurt Emily; or to scare her.

Emily lay on top of her, her bed-shirt discarded on the floor in a pile with the rest of her clothes. She hadn't worn her bra to bed and her bare chest was pressing down against Naomi's. The blonde suddenly felt like she was wearing far too many clothes; a sentiment Emily agreed with as she began tugging at Naomi's shorts. She got them so far down before they got stuck and Naomi had to wriggle them off the rest of the way herself. Emily started on her vest, and they ended up butting heads. "Fuck." Emily cursed as she rubbed at her head. Naomi had barely felt the contact, but there was a red mark forming on the other girl's forehead. Naomi pressed her lips to the mark, earning an adorable smile from the redhead. She took off her vest and lay back down, pulling Emily in close again so they lay pressed together, skin to skin.

Emily's body was warm and soft as Naomi ran her hands over her, committing every inch of her body to memory. She replaced her hands with her lips and trailed kisses down the other girl's stomach, picking up where they had left off the previous evening. Emily gasped as Naomi's kisses trailed lower and she nipped playfully at the soft flesh on the inside of her thigh. There was a large artery in the thigh, the femoral artery, which led to the external ilac artery of the pelvis and then to the internal ilac artery, a blood vessel which was only a few centimetres big and supplied the blood that was rushing to Emily's core. Naomi had subconsciously been following these arteries and found her lips hovering above Emily's centre. She'd be able to sink her teeth in to the tiny artery with ease. Her eyes narrowed as her fangs descended of their own accord. Her desire for the other girl had become entangled with her hunger. "Naoms?" Emily mistook her stopping for hesitation. She had no idea what was running through the blonde's mind. "Naomi!" She cried out as the other girl's mouth shot forward and found the sensitive flesh of her centre. She retracted her fangs at the last minute and managed to resist the urge to bite down; instead she found other ways to make Emily gasp.

"Ok, your mum definitely heard that." Emily giggled as she lay curled up against the blonde. Her pulse was racing, though Naomi's own heart was beating too fast for her to hear anything else. Though Naomi would never admit it, it had been decades since she had last felt the sweet release of sharing her bed with anyone. Her last lover had been another vampire and the reason she had left Gina. She had spent decades exploring Europe with her maker, learning the ways of her kind. Of course Gina had never taught her to hunt or to kill. Those life skills had come later and had been much tougher lessons to learn. When Gina had taken her back in she had been a complete mess. It had taken years to get herself sorted out and a relationship of any kind had been low on her list.

"You'll just have to be quieter next time." She grinned, letting Emily know there would definitely be a next time.  
>"Oi! I couldn't help it...I blame you entirely." Emily ducked her head, smirking as Naomi feigned indignation. The blonde easily flipped their positions, pinning the smaller girl beneath her body. Her skin felt on fire everywhere it touched Emily's and her voice was a low purr as she dipped her head to steal another kiss.<br>"Then I'll just have to think of a way to keep you quiet, won't I?" She silenced Emily's next question as she caught her lower lip between her teeth and gave her a gentle nip.

They were close to testing just how quiet Emily could be when Gina called up to them to come down for breakfast. They somehow managed to tear themselves out of bed and find some clothes to wear. Gina and Kieran were sitting at the kitchen table when the girls walked in. Gina fussed over Emily, filling her plate with pancakes drowning in syrup and offering her a large glass of orange juice. Naomi's eyes narrowed as she realised what she was doing. She though Naomi had fed on her. Leaving Emily with Kieran Naomi followed Gina upstairs when she went to get dressed and cornered her on the landing. "I didn't fucking drink from Emily, so you can stop feeding her up!" Gina at least had the good grace to look embarrassed.  
>"I'm sorry luv...It's just, it has been almost thirty years since-" Naomi cut her off with a stern glare. She didn't need to be reminded of how long it had been since she had slept with someone. "And she's a human. I know how hard it is with a human...how easy it is to lose control."<br>"I almost did." The younger blonde admitted with a heavy sigh. She ran her hand through her hair and shook her head. "I don't know what it is about her. The moment I saw her I wanted her. I won't hurt her. I promise I can handle this."  
>"Just be careful luv." Gina wrapped her arms around her and squeezed her tight. "You've done so well. I'd hate to see you fall off the wagon again."<p>

When Naomi went back downstairs in to the kitchen she found Emily and Kieran sitting in an uncomfortable silence. Emily's face lit up when the blonde walked back in to the room. Something stirred in the pit of her stomach and Naomi fought the urge to drag Emily out of her chair and pin her down to the kitchen table. Her fantasy trailed off as another hunger took over her thoughts. She would have to put up with pancakes until she could get something more substantial. She'd just have to wait until Emily went upstairs to get dressed in her own clothes. She was once again wearing Naomi's t-shirt, this time with a pair of shorts that reached her knees. Naomi would once again have to have her fill of pig's blood to keep her going through the day.

The second Emily went upstairs to take a shower Naomi wrenched open the fridge door. The family sized fridge was stocked full of the usual stuff, milk, butter, fresh fruit and vegetables; but the bottom drawer was full of anonymous black glass bottles. Naomi didn't waste time heating them up, though it usually made the foul blood a little more appetising. She had no problem drinking two bottles straight down and even managed half of a third bottle. Her stomach ached as she slumped back down at the kitchen table. She had forced herself to drink far too much to stave off her hunger until lunch, but it had left her feeling sluggish and uncomfortable. She went back upstairs to her room and slumped on to her bed. She was lying cradling her stomach when Emily walked in. She was wrapped in a towel, with her vibrant red hair hanging loose around her shoulders. Nomi's keen eyes picked up the droplets of water running down from her neck to her chest; they disappeared beneath the towel, running between the crevice of her breasts. Naomi felt a different kind of hunger stirring in her. It seemed her lust for Emily couldn't be as easily satisfied as her hunger for her blood.

"You look like you're ready to eat me up." Emily teased as she closed the door behind her and sauntered in to the room, deliberately rolling her hips as she walked. Naomi chuckled, though her throat had gone dry at the thought of eating Emily up. She would be the most satisfying meal she had ever had. Her stomach groaned in protest at the notion of yet more blood, turning Naomi's attention back to Emily's other assets. When clothed Emily Fitch looked like a strong wind would knock her over, but for all she was small she was well built. Her calves had the well-toned muscles of a distance runner and her slender arms had a slight definition of muscle. Her body was the perfect balance of curves and muscle. It was toned to perfection, yet still distinctly feminine. "You're beautiful." Naomi sighed; her eyes still glued to the smaller girl as she dropped the towel to the floor and took her time putting her clothes on.

Emily blushed and shrugged off the compliment. "Katie thinks she's the fittest twin."  
>"Well Katie's wrong." Naomi objected as she slipped off the bed and softly padded over to where Emily stood pulling her jeans up. She was still topless and standing there in only her jeans and bra. The smooth skin of her back was on display and had enticed the blonde over. She brushed Emily's hair aside to place kiss on her neck. She froze as her fingers brushed against something coarse. Emily pulled away like her touch had burned her. She had her top on in the blink of an eye. "Ems?" Naomi was gentle but firm as she lifted her top up and traced over the scars on Emily's back. Her stomach clenched with anger as she assessed the deep gashes in Emily's shoulder blade. They were paler than the rest of her skin and obviously some years old as the wounds had developed in to atrophic scars, leaving them as sunken recesses in Emily's otherwise perfect skin. There were four gashes on her shoulder blade, with another scar on the top of her shoulder. It was clear to her that someone or something had grabbed Emily with enough force to leave a permanent mark.<br>"It's nothing. Happened when I was a kid. Something I have that Katie doesn't." Emily's laugh was forced as she made a joke about the wound. She yanked her top back down and pulled away from the blonde. She hadn't shown anyone her scars before and had no intentions of going in to any details about them. Naomi wouldn't let it drop that easily though.  
>"What happened?"<p>

"Neighbour's dog." It was a bare faced lie and they both knew it. Naomi was no fool. Being able to read humans so easily had been what had made her such a good hunter. Those marks weren't made by a dog. She opened her mouth to call her out on the lie, but the utter sadness in Emily's eyes made her stay silent. It was clear that whatever had happened to Emily was still a painful subject. Naomi didn't want to see the little redhead in pain so she nodded and accepted her explanation. She wouldn't let it rest all together though. She would find out what had happened once Emily trusted her enough to tell her. Someone had clearly hurt Emily Fitch and once Naomi found out who it was she would tear them limb from limb.

"So what happened with Katie last night then?" Naomi tried to change the subject as she pulled on her own clothes. Emily's sadness turned to anger at the mention of her twin.  
>"She fucking flaked out of training again! Dad got pissed, and made me do twice as much and Katie came home mortal, whining about Effy. I just had to get out of the house."<br>"You shouldn't be out so late by yourself. Anything could have happened." Naomi scorned, all too aware of the dangers that lurked in the dark.  
>"It was a good job you found me then." Emily's smile returned to her lips as she seemed to shrug off the melancholy mood that had settled over her. She had no idea how close she had come to having her throat ripped out.<p>

Emily seemed to be her normal self for the rest of the morning, besides sulking a little when they got to college and met up with Katie. She was sitting with Pandora and Thomas in the common room. Effy and Cook were outside smoking. Naomi left Emily in the common room, bickering with her twin, and joined the others outside. Effy greeted her with a nod while Cook ignored her all together. Emily wasn't the only one sulking. Naomi sparked up a cigarette and made it last so that when Effy went back inside she still had an excuse to stay out. Cook had started on another cigarette. Chain smoking wasn't something vampires had to worry about. Their bodies were more than capable of purging toxins from their bodies and human diseases such as cancer didn't affect them.

"I'm a shit sire." Naomi didn't do apologies. It was the best Cook was going to get and he knew it.  
>"Yeah." He took a long draw of his cigarette and held on to the smoke for as long as he could. "You're pretty shit Blondie. But you're the only maker I've got, ain't ya?" He shot her his boyish grin and just like that all was forgiven. Or at least the cracks in their twisted relationship were once again smoothed over.<p>

They had never really spoken about Naomi abandoning him. The last time she had seen him, over a decade ago; they had met in London and spent an entire night drinking and talking about anything but the past they shared. Naomi had been dying to ask him one single question, but the night had turned to morning and they had parted ways before she had been able to pluck up the courage. "Why didn't you stay with them?" For almost sixty years she and Cook had been part of a family of four vampires. There clan had been both feared and revered back in the days when vampires had been free to hunt and kill. Even the most infamous hunting families had been afraid of them. It had been an intoxicating way of life, almost impossible to give up. When Gina had taken her back Naomi had expected Cook to stay with the family, but he had left them not long after Naomi had.

"Because I wanted to make you proud of me. I thought if I changed, if I stopped hunting and killing, started living how you wanted to…that maybe you'd take me back. But you never did." He shrugged like it was no big deal, but Naomi could sense his anger simmering just below the surface.

"Have you seen them lately?" She waited with baited breath for his answer, not sure what she was hoping for him to say. He fell silent, as though he were questioning whether to answer her truthfully or not.  
>"Saw her a few years back." For Cook that could mean anything from a few years to a decade ago. Time took on a different meaning when your body was immortal. "Would be about fifteen years ago now. She walked in to Keith's pub. Was asking about you…Did you ever think about them? About me? Or were you too busy playing happy families with Gina?"<br>"Of course I thought about you!" Naomi scorned, her own temper flaring up. It hadn't been easy for her to leave her childe behind. It hadn't been easy to leave any of them behind. They had been her family for over half a century. When she had left them she had lost a son, a lover and a father. Their dysfunctional little family had been her entire world for so long that at first it had been hard to function without them.

"So, you and Red got it on then?" Cook's mood changed at the drop of a hat as he teased her. Naomi smirked and shoved him away as he cackled. There was no point in denying it. Emily's scent was all over her, just as her own would be all over Emily. It would be useful if the little redhead decided to have any more midnight walks as any vampire she came across would take another vampire's scent as a claim of ownership. Few vampires would be foolish enough to challenge that claim. For all a diet of pig's blood had left Naomi considerably weaker than she had been in the past her reputation among her kind was still the stuff of legend. The only way Emily would be safer from other vampires would be if Naomi drank from her or marked her.

"I think Emily's marked." Naomi had had an ulterior motive for getting Cook alone. For all she had wanted to make things up with him she also wanted his opinion. "It's old, the bite marks are gone, but there are scars on her left shoulder blade, like someone clawed it." Cook's eyes narrowed as his face lost all traces of humour.  
>"Ain't any vamps sniffing around her now. Except for us. Whoa!" He held his hands up as he realised how that had sounded. "Trust me Blondie, I haven't been making no claims on Ems!"<br>"This is old Cook. She said a dog attacked her when she was a kid."  
>"So maybe she doesn't remember what happened?" Cook shrugged. "What I don't get it why they've left. If some vampire marked her as a kid it doesn't make sense that they'd just leave her. You mark someone and it's a statement. They're yours. You stick around and keep your claim. So why didn't this guy?"<br>"I don't know." It made Naomi's skin crawl to think some other vampire had a claim on Emily.

Vampire etiquette was something a maker taught their childe and it was closely followed by all of their kind. If a human was marked then no other vampire could feed from them. Strictly speaking Naomi was supposed to seek permission from the vampire who had made the claim if she even wanted to be acquainted with Emily; If Naomi ever met the vampire who had attacked Emily as a child she would kill them. Etiquette be damned. "You gonna tell her?"

"Yeah, that would go down well." Naomi scoffed at him. "By the way Ems you were attacked by a vampire as a kid and they can come back any time they want and stake their claim." Marking humans had been discouraged ever since the Treaty of Brixton, when hunting and draining them dry had been outlawed all together. Attacking a child was unusual. Vampires usually marked those they wanted to turn, to stop any other vampires from feeding on them or turning them for themselves. There were a few different reasons why a vampire would mark or turn a human. Either through lust or attraction, the desire to have a lifelong mate, or they might target someone who could make their clan stronger. Vampires were big on territory and in the past the bigger and stronger a clan the more hunting privileges they would have in an area.

Finally there was also the desire to be a parent; turning a human in to a vampire was like bringing a child in to the world. A fledgling vampire was completely dependent upon their maker to learn how to feed and to fit in to the new world that had been opened up to them. It would make sense for a vampire to mark Emily as a kid if they wanted her as their childe, which would suggest they wanted to take care of her not harm her; which was some comfort at least. Again though a vampire who wanted to turn Emily to have her as a child would have found a way to stay close to her until she was old enough to turn. They would have found a way to infiltrate her life in a way they could help raise her in her human life, perhaps as a nanny or a teacher, or even a family friend. Yet Cook hadn't picked up on any other vampires in Emily's life.

"I've got your back Blondie. Red's too." Cook slung an arm around her shoulder. "The fucker comes back and he's dust!"

**A/N:**Thanks again to everyone who's reading and to those reviewing. If anyone's reading my other Naomily fics I promise I'll update those soon. I just seem to be able to write more for this at the moment. It's a little early but I doubt I'll update again before tonight so Happy New Year everyone! :)


	9. Chapter 9

"You got that look on your face." Cook mumbled as he pressed a cigarette between his lips and offered Naomi the packet. She shook her head, too preoccupied to bother with smoking. They had finished their last class a little early, but it would only be a few minutes before Emily's class go out for lunch. The little redhead and the marks on her shoulder had been on her mind all morning. Another vampire had left their mark on Emily, had claimed her for themselves, and it was driving the blonde crazy. Vampires were territorial creatures and weren't known for sharing. The thought that someone else had a claim on the other girl was enough to make Naomi's blood boil.

"What look?" She sighed, though she knew what he was talking about. She'd been a sour faced cow all morning, as Effy had politely pointed out to her when she had brooded all through their free period in the common room.  
>"You don't got to worry about Ems. Those scars are old, yeah? Whoever made them, they're long gone. Even if they do come back we'll kick their fucking head in and send them packing." Cook shot her a confident grin and managed to coax a smile from her. "If you're that worried you could always put your own claim on her-"<br>"I'm not marking Emily. This isn't a fucking pissing contest Cook." She glared at him, her foul mood quickly returning. "I just need to know what happened to her."  
>"I'll ask around." Cook offered, still trying to help her despite the way she was talking to him. The boy had always been loyal to a fault. "Somebody's got to know something."<br>"Thanks Cook."

The bell rang for the start of lunch and Naomi excused herself to go pick Emily up from her class. When she arrived at the right room there were only a handful of students still filing out of the door. Emily was still inside. With Mandy. "We're not together Mandy! I'm not interested ok! So just leave me alone!" Naomi hovered by the door, waiting to see how things would play out. She didn't want to step in if Emily didn't need her.  
>"I thought we were working things out? It's that blonde bitch isn't it? She's no good for you Emsy! I know what you need-"<br>"For you to fuck off?" Naomi had tried to hold back, but she was already angry about Emily being marked without Mandy trying it on. Naomi could only take so much.

"Do you mind? This is a private conversation." The other girl snapped at her with a sour glare. She towered over Naomi, trying to use her height to intimidate her; but little girls with big mouths did not scare Naomi in the slightest. She returned Mandy's glare with a steely one of her own. Her lips curled up in to a smirk as she thought of a way to piss the other girl off more than harsh words or throwing a punch ever could.  
>"No problem." She forced a nonchalance in to her voice as she sauntered up to Emily.<p>

The smaller girl was leaning against a desk with her arms folded and a frown on her face. Her expression softened as Naomi reached her and leant in for a kiss. Naomi was more forceful than she had expected and Emily found herself pushed up on to the desk as the blonde possessively kissed her lips. She caught the other girl's lower lip with her teeth and nipped at it before pulling away with a satisfied smirk. Emily's eyes were wide and unseeing, her lips were bruised and her cheeks flushed. The look she shot Naomi was pure longing and the blonde didn't need to turn around to know Mandy was green with envy. Emily was hers. No question about it. "I'll meet you outside when you're done Ems." The redhead was on her heels the second she walked out of the door.

She caught her hand in the hallway and pushed her back against the nearest locker. Their lips locked in a fierce battle and Emily made a point of nipping at Naomi's lip. It seemed Naomi had found exactly the right button to press when it came to teasing the little human. "Don't start something you can't finish." Emily's voice was a husky purr in the blonde's ear.  
>"Why don't you stay over again tonight, we can finish what we started this morning..."<p>

"I can't." Emily sighed, an adorable pout on her lips. "I'm working tonight. Dad's pissed at me for staying out last night, there's no way he'll give me the night off...I don't start till four though."

"This is so unfair!" Emily grumbled as she picked up soaking wet towels from the floor of the locker room and slung them over her shoulder. She'd skipped her afternoon lessons and gone back to Naomi's house for a few hours, but she had been stuck in the gym all night. It was after nine and she was still cleaning up. Katie had gone home early with a half-baked excuse about a stomach ache. Emily wasn't stupid. Katie wouldn't be tucked up in bed when Emily got home. She would be out clubbing or staying over at Effy's; the inconsiderate cow. "Katie got out of training yesterday too!"  
>"Emily." Rob Fitch dropped the towels he had been carrying and let out a heavy sigh. It was the sigh of a man with the world on his shoulders and for once Emily felt guilty about moaning to him. He looked tired and somehow older than he had just the day before. "We both know Katie's not interested in carrying on the family business. You're different love, you're a natural! You just need to keep your head in the game kiddo. Besides you <em>need <em>to learn this stuff Emily-"  
>"I know Dad. I'm sorry." Emily tossed her own towels aside and gave him a hug. He held on to her for longer than was needed, but she didn't say anything. Her dad was scared and that alone was enough to silence her. "It just sucks sometimes, knowing Katie has a choice when I don't." Emily's hand rubbed at the back of her neck, her fingers brushing against the scar tissue on her shoulder.<p>

"I know love. If it helps I'm not telling her she can quit just yet." Rob smirked, pulling himself back together. "And this isn't normal training. This is the real deal Emsy. We're going on a hunt!"  
>"For real?" Emily's eyes lit up. Her first hunt was everything she had been training for her whole life. Years of training her body and mind were finally going to be put in to action. She was finally going to kill a vampire. It wouldn't be the one who had attacked her as a child, but it would be a start.<br>"For real. Come on kiddo, Samuel's waiting for us."

Samuel, like the Fitches, was a hunter. He and Rob had been friends for as long as Emily could remember. Samuel was a big guy, perfectly built for a life of hunting vampires. He was well over six foot tall and almost as wide. When Emily greeted him at the reception of the gym he scooped her up off the floor with ease. "Hello little one." He beamed at her as he put her back down and ruffled her hair like she was still a child. Samuel had been the one to find her when the vampire had attacked her. She had been close to death and if it hadn't been for the giant of a man standing before her she wouldn't have lived to see her fourth birthday.

The vampire who had attacked her had crept in to the room she shared with Katie and taken Emily from her bed. After that her memories became fuzzy. She'd been found in a park a few miles from their house, with half of her blood drained and two searing holes from where the vampire's fangs had sunk in to her tiny neck. And the marks on her shoulder of course. They had taken months to heal properly and still ached on cold days. They were a constant reminder to Emily of her duty as a Fitch. Her father's family had been hunters for four generations, taking out vampires that chose to kill humans.

Rob Fitch had spent the last fourteen years trying to track down who had attacked his youngest daughter. He never spoke about it with Emily, but he had started training the girls to fight vampires the second Emily was well enough to start training. He never wanted his little girls to ever again be vulnerable to any sort of attack, vampire or otherwise. Katie had quickly lost interest as the twins grew up, but Emily had only become more and more determined. Her father didn't know it, but Samuel had told her about every lead he and Rob had followed in search of the vampire who had almost killed her. She owed Samuel her life and the pair had developed a close affinity. It had after all been Samuel's blood that had saved her life.

He had cut open his wrist and fed her his blood. Vampires seldom shared their blood with humans, but Samuel had owed Rob's grandfather his life and so he had saved Emily's, repaying his debt. They had been lucky that Emily still had enough blood left in her to remain human. If a human was close enough to death then vampire blood would infect their system, repairing the damage but turning them at the very genetic level. "Are you ready for your first hunt?"

"Born ready." Emily grinned, ignoring the way her father rolled his eyes and shook her head.  
>"Remember to take this seriously Emily. This is the real deal! You need to get your head in the game!"<br>"I know Dad. I'm ready."

Dressed in gym clothes they looked like your average group of joggers as they hit the streets of Bristol in search of the two vampires they were hunting. Centuries ago the hunters had worked independently, hunting any and all vampires. Attitudes had slowly started to change amongst some hunters and they had started to distinguish between different types of vampires. After the treaty with the vampires a lot of the hunting families has disbanded, leaving only a handful of hunters who worked with the Vampire Council of Elders. The council were a group of three ancient vampires who took charge of all the vampires in the UK. It was up to the council to find their own kind guilty of breaking the treaty rules, by killing or illegally hunting. Once found guilty a vampire could be taken out by the hunters.

"Right we're looking for John and James Rosenberg. They're twins, born in Nineteen Sixty-Seven and turned at nineteen. The council held a trial and found them guilty in their absence. They're responsible for the deaths of at least four teenage girls in the last six months-"  
>"Is that why I'm here? Bait?" Emily wasn't stupid. Rob had flat out refused to take her on any hunting missions until she was eighteen and had suddenly changed his mind a month shy of her birthday.<br>"No, you're here to learn...and as bait. But don't tell your mother!"

It didn't take them long to find the Rosenberg twins, a friend of Samuel's had spotted them at a club in town and given them the heads up. Emily wasn't exactly dressed for a night on the town so she couldn't just walk in to the club and try to lure them out. "I've got a plan." Emily pulled out her flick knife and sliced a cut in to her hand. She hissed in pain as the blood welled up in her palm. Samuel growled as his nostrils flared at the scent of Emily's blood. He was old enough to be able to control himself though, which was more than could be said for the twins. Vampires were like sharks, they could smell a single drop of blood a mile away. Within minutes the two vampires were outside the club and making there way across the street and down a dingey alley between two buildings.

At the end of it they found an attractive teenage girl, cradling her hand against her chest. Her hoodie was smeared with blood from where she had rubbed her hand on it. "Need some help?" James, the eldest of the twins smirked as the girl noticed him and jumped with fright. He circled her so that he and his brother surrounded her on either side.  
>"No. I'm fine. I just tripped and cut my hand on the glass." She kicked at one of the many broken glass bottles that littered the ground where she stood.<br>"We can help you with that." James leered at her, his beady eyes hungrily taking in her body. "I've got something that will take your mind off it-" His hands went to the buckle of his belt as John took a threatening step forward. The teenager didn't seem fazed by the sudden intrusion in her personal space. She smirked at John as she pulled a knife out of her pocket and flicked the blade out.  
>"Sorry, my dad doesn't like me dating."<br>"Oh hunny, this ain't gonna be no date. And your daddy ain't here." James cackled as he wrestled with the buttons on his jeans.

The knife seemed to excite the two men more than intimidate them, but Emily stood her ground, knowing she would be fine. Samuel had her back. He was older and stronger than the two young vampires and would be much quicker if they tried to attack.

"Actually. I am." Rob Fitch was a good hunter and a protective father. If he had hated the twins before he absolutely loathed them after watching them eye up his youngest daughter. The wooden stake in his hand was an old yet reliable tool and he had the upper body strength to easily drive it home through John's chest. For a split second an eerie calm settled over the group. John's eyes widened in disbelief as he stared at the wood protruding through his chest. He looked to his twin, as though his older brother could do anything to save him. James was frozen to the spot. He watched as his brother dropped to his knees and then crumpled to the ground as his eyes rolled to the back of his head. The second his body hit the floor all hell broke loose.

James was quicker than any of them expected. In the blink of a human eye he was on Rob, his fangs out and his hands around his throat. Samuel was just as quick and scrambled to help. James had locked on to Rob in a frenzy and didn't seem to care about Samuel, he refused to let go of the other man's neck. "Dad!" Emily might not have been as quick as Samuel but she was smart. She plunged her knife straight in to the vampire's shoulder. The blade was forged with silver and though the wound wasn't enough to be fatal it hurt like hell. It broke James out of his frenzy and he let go of Rob's neck. The eldest Fitch dropped to the ground, wheezing and gasping for air. Samuel was knocked away as James flew out of the alley, Emily's knife still lodged in his shoulder. She had driven it down deep enough to hit the bone, but the blade had slipped and sliced her already injured hand. The cut was much deeper than it had been and she had to tear the bottom of her shirt to make a bandage.

"You ok kiddo?" Her dad was back on his feet, and apart from some nasty bruising around his throat he seemed to be ok.  
>"Here. Let me." Samuel took her hand and held it up to his mouth. Rob tensed, for all he trusted Samuel with his own life his daughters were a different matter. He was still a vampire after all and Emily was bleeding pretty bad. "This may sting." He bit down in to the fleshy part of her palm, his fangs sinking in to the cut. Emily stifled a cry, but within seconds the anti-coagulant released from Samuel's bite began to work and the wound on her hand quickly clotted, stemming the blood flow until it stopped all together.<br>"Thanks." She snatched her hand back from Samuel's grasp. For all she remembered very little of her attack as a child she had never forgotten the feeling of fangs tearing in to her skin. "We should go after the other one-"  
>"No. I'll do it." He turned to Rob and assessed the damage to his throat. "You two should go home."<br>"I'm fine. I'll take Emily home and meet you-"  
>"No." Samuel's tone left no room for argument. "Go home Rob. I've got this one."<p>

"I'm sorry Dad." Emily apologised as they got in to the car outside the gym. It was almost midnight and they were both exhausted as Rob started up the car to head home. "I should have been quicker-"  
>"You did great love. I'm proud of you." He smiled at her, but it didn't quite reach his eyes. His smile faltered, something was clearly weighing on his mind. He pulled the car over on a side street and rested his arms on the steering wheel. He sighed and his entire body seemed to crumble.<br>"Dad? What is it?"  
>"I mean it Emily. You're going to be a great hunter. I'm going to start taking you on more hunts. You need to be ready...it's your birthday soon and..."<br>"I know Dad. I'm ready to be a hunter."

"No. It's not that." Rob shook his head and stared at his hands on the wheel, trying to work out what he was going to say. He had kept something important from her for a long time and it was finally time to tell her the truth. "The vampire who attacked you...the scars on your back-"  
>"They're a mark of possession." Emily cut him off. "Samuel told me years ago. That vampire's still out there somewhere and I'm wearing its tag on my back... I know what the mark is Dad. I know it's coming back for me. I'm ready for it."<p> 


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N:** A big thanks to everyone who's reading, especially to those reviewing and encouraging me to write quicker! I had a rare day off work today so managed to get another chapter done, can't promise they'll all be this fast though. Glad you all seem to be enjoying it, plenty more twists to come!

"Ems? You ok?" Emily had tried her best to be as silent as the grave as she slipped in to the room she shared with Katie, but it seemed her twin had been waiting up for her. She switched on the lamp beside her bed, bathing her side of the room in a soft golden glow and illuminating the blood stains on Emily's hoodie. "Fuck, what happened?" She sat bolt upright, disturbing the sleeping girl beside her. Effy grumbled as she rolled over and buried her face in Katie's chest. The older twin softly ran her hand through her hair, waiting for the other girl to settle back to sleep. There was a ghost of a smile on her lips as she pressed them against Effy's forehead. It was one of those rare moments when Emily remembered her twin wasn't a total bitch.

"What happened?" She repeated a little more quietly as Emily slowly tugged her blood stained clothes off.  
>"Dad and Samuel took me on a hunt. I cut myself." She shrugged like it was no big deal, but her hand was still throbbing. Samuel's bite had helped to stop the blood and would heal the wound quicker than any human medicine could, but it wasn't an instant cure and the cut kept re-opening every time she overstretched her hand. Her dad had cleaned and bandaged it for her before letting her go up to bed, but the blood was still soaking through the dressing.<p>

Emily filled Katie in on the night's events in a hushed whisper as she got ready for bed. She ended with what Rob had said to her in the car on the way home. "He thinks they'll come back soon. I got the whole lecture on trusting strangers and the top ten ways to spot a vamp." Emily sighed as she fell in to bed and pulled the covers up to her chin. The adrenaline of the fight had worn off and the cold November night seemed to have sunk in to her bones, leaving her exhausted and shaking.

Across from her Katie fell uncharacteristically silent. She bit her lip as she stared down at Effy's sleeping form, wrestling with her words. For once Katie Fitch was thinking something through before she said it out loud. Wonders would never cease. "Naomi's new-"  
>"Damn it Katie!" Emily hissed at her twin with a scowl. "I know you don't like her, but there's no reason to think Naomi-"<br>"She shows up a month before our eighteenth, a month before whatever vamp marked you can come and _legally _turn you, and she's all over you from day one! You can't tell me that's not suspicious?"  
>"Why, because she's interested in me and not you?" Emily snapped back harshly, but she was too tired and frustrated to think of her sister's feelings.<br>"Ems, that's not what I meant..." Katie's tone softened and it was like a sucker punch to the gut. "You're my sister, it's my job to worry about you. I just want you to be careful-"  
>"I tested her." Emily admitted with a heavy sigh as she lay in the darkness. "I thought she was a little off, she and Cook were pretty vague about how they met, but she passed. Just like Cook did."<p>

The twins had been fairly certain James Cook was a vampire when he had turned up at the start of college last year; no parents, no family and a pretty chequered history spent moving from place to place. Their suspicions had been scuppered however when they realised he was wearing a silver chain around his neck. For all the crap the books and films got wrong about vampire lore the allergy to silver was true. Vampires as a race were allergic to pure silver, it seemed to be some sort of genetic quirk, just as centuries ago they had all been allergic to sunlight. Silver was something they had yet to overcome, given a few centuries evolution would take over and the allergy would probably start to die out among newborns, but for now it was a pretty sure fire test for finding out if someone was a vampire or not.

The twins had bought him a silver ring for his birthday just to make double sure, and it had sat proudly on his finger ever since, with no signs of burning or discomfort whatsoever. Emily played with the little silver cross hanging from the chain around her neck. Though the cross was about as useful as a chocolate teapot when it came to fighting vampires, the silver was a source of protection. The cross had been pressed up against Naomi's chest more than a few times, including the first night they had met. It had had no effect. No. Emily was sure Naomi Campbell was not a vampire.

"Why couldn't you be like normal sisters and talk about boys?" Effy grumbled as she rolled over again to face Emily, she took Katie's arm with her so she was pressed snugly against her with her arm around her.  
>"Because I'm gay and Katie's-"<br>"Straight." The older twin barked, though it was slightly muffled with her face buried in the crook of Effy's neck.  
>"Not to mention coming from a family of vampire hunters." Emily added, ignoring Katie all together.<p>

"I come from a family of alcoholics, life is so much simpler." Effy quipped back, her quick wit still wide awake even if the rest of her was half asleep. "Maybe Mandy's the vampire? Even if she's not you could kick her arse anyway?"

"She's not. A head case maybe, but a very human one. Trust me, we check everyone."

"Even me?" Effy asked, though she was looking up at Katie rather than Emily. "And just how did you test me, Katiekins?" Her tone took on a silky quality as she brushed her lips against the other girl's ear, whispering something that Emily thankfully couldn't hear.  
>"How would <em>that <em>prove if you were human?" Katie frowned, though Emily didn't miss the way the covers shifted as she wrapped both arms around the other girl. They both fell silent and Emily heard the unmistakable sound of lips against lips. She smiled despite the awkwardness of sleeping across from the pair. When Effy had first declared her interest in Katie, in a very no-nonsense way by pinning her against the wall of a club one night and snogging her face off, Katie had gone postal, refusing to be in the same room as the other girl. Yet just a few months later they were once again sharing a bed. Effy was slowly wearing Katie's resolve down.

Mercifully Emily's body was too exhausted to keep her awake much longer and she slipped off to sleep, leaving Katie and Effy to their own devices. It was not often that Emily dreamt. Ever since her attack as a child she had been a light sleeper, and her body rarely achieved the deep state of sleep required to dream. For that Emily was grateful. Whenever Emily did dream it was never pleasant.

_Her eyes opened, as they had done a thousand times before when she relived this particular dream. She knew what to expect. The park she had been found in that night always looked the same every time she dreamt about it. The grass she stood on was damp beneath her feet, the gentle wind rocked the empty swings back and forth and the cold rain pelting down on her face was a stark contrast to the searing heat and pain coursing through her back. Sharp nails dug in to her shoulder, ripping at the flesh as she tried to pull away from the grasp of the creature who held her so firmly. _

_She felt light headed and dizzy and the throbbing in her neck didn't match the frantic beating of her heart in her chest. A single strangled sob escaped her mouth as fangs retracted from her throat, the wounds already beginning to clot, unlike the gashes in her back which were bleeding through what was left of her pyjama top. They were candy pink with little red hearts on, a detail that had never seemed to fade over the years. _

_Emily had always been able to remember those small insignificant details so clearly, the feeling of the damp grass beneath her bare feet, the broken street light that flashed on and off, bathing her attacker in an eerie shadow that seemed to melt in to the darkness around them. Her attacker's face, or any significant details had been lost to her even back then and over the years the shadow became more and more vague until it was nothing but the night itself attacking her. _

_She slumped to her knees, the wet grass seeping uncomfortably through the thin flannel pyjamas. The night had grown twice as cold and her tiny body began to shake as it went in to shock. She heard a mocking chuckle and words which had never made sense before. At the time she had been dying and whatever the vampire had said to her had been lost; tonight however she heard them crystal clear. "Poor little hunter's daughter." _

_Emily felt bile rising up in the back of her throat, not from the words but the voice. The oh so familiar voice of the vampire taunting her. The vampire knelt down and firmly gripped Emily's chin in her hand, forcing her to look the creature square in its cold dead eyes. Emily had been an impressionable child and the vamp's charms had erased the memory of it's face from her mind; except tonight she was staring straight at it's face. It's beautiful angelic face. _

_Platinum blonde hair, eyes dazzling orbs of hard blue granite, soft lips curled up in to a sneer. "You're mine Emily." _

"Ems?" As Emily shot up in bed she heard someone screaming, it took her a few moments to realise the screams belonged to her. Katie and Effy were on her bed beside her, crowding around her with concern etched on their faces. Emily had to climb out of bed to get some space. Her throat felt like it was closing up as she struggled for air. The room seemed to have grown smaller while she was sleeping and she paced it nervously, trying to calm herself down. It had been a dream. A stupid nightmare she'd had a million times before. Except it had been different, because she had finally been able to put a face and a voice to the soulless creature that had attacked her.

It was all Katie's fault. She had put a seed of doubt in Emily's mind and it had grown in to the nightmare she'd just escaped from. She'd been thinking of Naomi before she'd fallen asleep, and her attack, obviously the two had become tangled in her mind. Naomi was human, there was no way she had been involved in Emily's attack as a child. It took a few more minutes but it seemed to sink in to Emily's frazzled mind and she finally calmed down.

"Nightmare?" Katie looked at her like she was a fragile china doll and it did nothing to sooth the youngest twin's already frayed nerves. She wasn't a helpless child any more. Neither a dream nor a living breathing vampire was going to scare her senseless. She wouldn't allow it. She was a Fitch. She was a hunter. She would fight whatever came after her; both real and imagined.

"I'm fine." She snapped, her voice a husky growl as she snatched up her bloody clothes from the floor, using them as an excuse to get out of the room. She stormed down the stairs and dropped her washing on to the kitchen floor beside the washing machine. She doubted even her mother could get the blood out of her favourite sweatshirt though. The bandage around her hands was soaked with blood and the dressing would need to be changed after she showered. Taking a pair of scissors out of one of the drawers she cut the soiled dressing away, revealing the angry pink gash in the palm of her hand. She had been lucky it was relatively shallow, any deeper and she might have damaged the tendons of her good hand. The last thing she needed was to be unable to defend herself.

"You alright love? That still bleeding?" Rob put the morning paper down on the bench as he went over to inspect Emily's hand. Her frowned at the still open wound. Emily yanked her hand away, ignoring the pain it caused.  
>"I must have pulled it open again when I was sleeping." She'd probably been thrashing around from her nightmare. "It's no big deal."<br>"Ok." Rob nodded, accepting the front his youngest daughter was trying to put on. "Samuel hasn't been able to track down the brother. We're organizing a search, we should bag him by tonight, but just stay safe out there today, ok?"  
>"Ok." James Rosenberg had the scent of her blood. If he wanted to find her there would be little Emily could do to hide from him. Of course she never left herself unarmed. Most of her jackets had an extra pocket sewn in to hide a small blade. Emily rarely left the house without her knife.<p>

She made a hasty retreat from the kitchen, not wanting yet another lecture on safety from her father. She felt much more herself after her shower and ready to go back in to her room to face Katie and Effy. Katie was fully dressed but Effy was taking her sweet time. "You finished spazzing out?" Katie's harsh tone was more welcome than her earlier concern. It felt normal to have her snapping at her. Normal was good.  
>"Yeah. It was just a stupid dream. No big." Emily kept her back to the others as she got ready for school, trying to hide the fact that her hands were still shaking and her lips were set in a constant frown. For the first time since meeting Naomi Campbell she wasn't looking forward to seeing her.<p>

She liked Naomi. A lot. But the thought of the other girl kept taking her back to her garish nightmare and that wasn't a place she wanted to go back to. She knew her mind was playing tricks on her, filling in the gaps in her memory with something familiar, but as much as she kept telling herself it hadn't been real she couldn't shake off her unease about seeing Naomi again.

She was seriously considering playing on her injured hand to skip college for the day. She just needed some time to herself, to sort her messed up head out. She had enough enemies without her mind inventing more. She was about to go talk her dad in to letting her stay off when he appeared at the bottom of the stairs and called up to them. "Girls, Samuel's going to take you to school!"  
>As if on cue there was a sharp rap on the door three times, Samuel's usual knock.<p>

"Hi Sammy!" Katie beamed at him, using his pet name to annoy him as she had done since she was old enough to talk.  
>"Hello Katherine." He quipped back, playing out their usual script. "Miss Elizabeth." He extended a polite smile to the other girl. He didn't like that Katie had told Effy all about the vampires and the hunters, but seeing as Effy had almost been killed by one in their first year they didn't have much choice. His smile faltered as his eyes landed on Emily. "You don't look well Emily. Is your cut infected?" He reached out for her bandaged hand but Emily hastily shoved it in to her jacket pocket.<br>"Fine." She huffed, shoving past him to get in to his car. If she asked to stay off they would all have blown it out of proportion, so she begrudgingly got in the front passenger seat of the car before Katie could argue about who was sitting up front.

The short journey to the college couldn't end soon enough for Emily. Despite her anxiety over her nightmare she found the knot in her stomach loosening as they pulled in to the car park and she caught sight of Cook and Naomi walking through the gates. "Thanks Samuel." She pecked him on the cheek before shoving the door open and bouncing over to Naomi. The blonde greeted her with a genuine smile, making her brilliant blue eyes shine. "Hi." Emily wore a matching goofy smile as she leant in for a kiss from the blonde.

The kiss was brief as Naomi quickly pulled back. Her eyes narrowed on the little redhead as she caught the scent of her blood. Naomi's eyes hungrily sought out the source of it. She gingerly took Emily's injured hand in her own. Her thumb stroked over the skin just above the dressing as she tried to block out the intoxicating scent of fresh blood. Emily's blood. "What happened?"

"Oh, nothing. I fell when I was jogging." The lie rolled off Emily's tongue with ease. She didn't want to bring Naomi in to her fucked up world of vampire hunting. The blonde was the only safe haven of normality she had left in her life.

Naomi seemed to accept the lie, but she looked at her quizzically, as though something was wrong. Beside her Cook stiffened as he picked up on it too, he was younger and his senses were not quite as sharp as Naomi's. Emily was covered in another vampire's scent. More than one; but the one Naomi could identify the most was storming over to them from the car Emily had just gotten out of.

Instinct kicked in and Naomi stepped protectively in front of the little red head, blocking her from the giant who was headed straight for her. Cook acted in unison and they formed a wall around the other girl. "Emily!" The man growled with a familiarity that Naomi didn't care for. Was he the one who had marked her? Was he some pervert who was grooming her until she was old enough to turn? Did Emily even know what was happening to her? "Get away from them!"  
>"What?" Emil scowled as the giant of a vampire stopped in front of them and tried to reach for her. Naomi's hand shot out, clamping around the man's wrist before he could lay it on the smaller girl.<br>"Don't fucking touch her."  
>"Naomi?" Emily's confusion deepened as the blonde shoved Samuel back like he was made of paper. "What's going on?"<p>

"You were warned Emily!" Samuel snapped, his gaze darkening as he stared Naomi down and kept Cook in his sights. The blonde took his words the wrong way and a low snarl erupted from her throat as she took a step back to shield Emily further. "They're vampires you foolish child!"

In an instant the world around them froze. Naomi and Emily looked between each other and back to Samuel as the pieces fell in to place. A look of horror spread over Emily's face as she realised Naomi's face had contorted in to the one she had worn in her dream. Her eyes were hard and unforgiving, her lips were curled back and there was a hint of sharp fangs poking out from underneath them. Naomi was indeed a vampire.

Even with her injury Emily was able to yank her knife out of her pocket and flick it open in one fluid motion. She held it up defensively in front of herself, pointing it directly at Naomi. "It was you wasn't it? So what, did you think you'd come back and finish me off? Fuck about with my head first, make me...make me care about you? That's fucking sick Naomi, even for a low life fanger!"

Cook snarled at her as he stepped up to defend his maker. Naomi shoved him back, ignoring the rest of the group as she focused on Emily. "I have no idea what you're talking about Emily. Can we talk? Please? I would never hurt you-"  
>"Really? Well this says otherwise!" Emily cradled her shoulder with her hand and suddenly Naomi knew what she was being accused of.<br>"What? No. No! That wasn't me!"  
>"So you just happen to fucking show up here when she's almost eighteen?" Katie stepped up to her twin's side and shouted in the blonde's face. It was more an act of rage than courage and she quickly took a step back as Cook let off another growl. He really wasn't helping things any. "And Cook just happens to have made friends with us? Got you straight in didn't it bitch?" Naomi shot Katie a scathing look that would have terrified the average human. Katie was a Fitch though and anyone who messed with one of them messed with them all.<p>

"Please Emily, let me explain. I know what the marks are, but I didn't make them. I swear! Can we just talk, alone, please?"  
>"Not a chance." Katie was really starting to get on her nerves. If she could get Emily on her own they could talk things through. Set everything straight. Emily pushed Katie's protective arm away from her shoulder and took a hesitant step forward. Naomi felt relief flooding through her body. That was until Emily's good hand slapped her across the face. The blow was trivial, barely a sting, but Emily's words hit her like a ton of bricks.<p>

"Stay the hell away from me Naomi. I see you again and I'll stake you myself."

"Ems!" Naomi tried to follow her, but Cook's iron grip on her wrist kept her rooted to the spot. Samuel glared at them both as he guided the three girls back to the car, never turning his back on the two vampires. The tyres of his car screeched in protest as he slammed the car in to gear and shot out of the car park like a boy racer. "What the fuck is going on?" Naomi felt her legs turning to jelly as she struggled to breath. She slumped to the ground and held her head in her hands. What had gone wrong? How could Emily think she could ever hurt her? Why was another vampire protecting her? Nothing made sense.

"He's a hunter." Cook filled in one of the gaps for her at least as he sat down beside her. He was still squinting out of the car park, as though expecting Samuel to come back. "Works for the council. He thinks you've attacked Ems and we're screwed."  
>"I don't give a fuck about him!" Naomi spat, her anger finally overtaking her self pity. "I need to speak to Ems. I need to make her understand that I never-"<br>"You need to stay the fuck away from her. From all of them!" Cook argued, trying to be the cold voice of reason. "If the council grants him a warrant he'll kill you Naomi! Just leave it, yeah?"  
>"I can't." Naomi seemed to deflate as she sighed in defeat. "I can't stop thinking about her Cook! She's like a fucking addiction. I need to see her! I need to set things right. I didn't attack her-"<p>

"You sure about that?" Cook's eyes narrowed on the blonde. "Fourteen years ago you were still pretty messed up. You were in Bristol too, last time we met-"  
>"No. That was twelve years ago. Before we left for Ireland..." Naomi trailed off, no longer sure of herself. Had it been twelve years ago when she'd returned to Bristol and bumped in to Cook? Or had it been fourteen years? Had she been in Bristol when Emily had been attacked?<p>

"You said it yourself Naoms, you're addicted to her. From day one you've been all over her. I ain't never seen you even look twice at a human...maybe you did do it. Maybe you marked her, but you don't remember?"  
>"No." Naomi shook her head, but her protests had grown feeble as she grew to doubt her own mind. She had fallen off the wagon around that time and fed on a homeless man, almost draining him dry. She'd been close to giving up on her second life with Gina and returning to her other family. But she hadn't. She'd got through it, cleaned herself up over in Ireland. And surely she'd remember attacking a child? "No. I have to see Emily. I have to...I have to know for sure Cook."<p> 


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: Apologies for the lack of updates recently. I had a slight accident at work so now have soft tissue damage in my hand/wrist which means I have to type one handed and it takes a while. Thanks again to everyone who's reading and for all the lovely reviews!

"How could you be so stupid?" Rob Fitch roared at his teenage daughters, his face turning more and more red with every word. "Both of you! Two vampires! Two!" He slammed his fist down on the desk and then held his face in his hands. "We can't tell your mother about this!"  
>"We tested Cook! He's not allergic to silver!" Katie objected, though had the good sense to fall quiet when Rob and Samuel both glared at her. Her silence, as usual, did not last for long. "And Ems said Naomi isn't either-"<br>"They're probably kin." Samuel sat perched on the end of Rob's desk, his expression as troubled as Rob's. His gaze was fixed on Emily as she sat quietly in the corner of the room, staring out of the window at the empty car park. She looked lost in her own thoughts, but Samuel picked up on the subtle way her eyes kept scanning the street, looking for any sign of movement. Emily Fitch would one day make an excellent hunter; despite letting two vampires get so close to her.

"A handful of us aren't allergic to silver. It's rare and usually linked to only a few bloodlines. The boy, Cook is it? He's the younger of the two; he listened to the girl when she told him to step down. I'd say she was his maker. I'll see what I can dig up on them both."  
>"Thanks mate. Let me know what you find out. I'm going to keep the girls home until Jenna finishes work. Can you go pick James up for me?"<br>"Of course."

"I'll come." Katie offered, not looking forward to a day stuck in the gym. "The school don't know Sammy, and he does look a bit creepy. No offence." When Katie and Samuel left to pick up James it left Emily and Rob alone in his office.  
>"Don't beat yourself up love. Without the silver there was no way to know-"<br>"Dad. Just don't. Please." Emily wasn't ready for a speech from her dad. She wasn't ready to have him looking at her like she was a china doll. She needed to take her mind off things. Training had always helped clear her head so she changed in to the spare gym clothes she had in her locker and hit the treadmill.

The gym was quiet in the mornings and would be until lunch time. There were only a few people in the whole building and most of them were pensioners taking an aerobics class so Emily had the treadmills all to herself. That was until a young brunette walked in and started the treadmill a couple down from Emily's. She had her headphones in and paid no attention to Emily as she started off with a light jog. The other girl was fit and it wasn't long before she finished with the warm up and increased her speed, eventually outdoing Emily.

She increased her pace, trying to match the other girl. Her legs were much shorter than the other girl's and within twenty minutes she was struggling to keep up as a dull cramp spread through her leg. From the corner of her eyes Emily caught the other girl smirk as she increased the pace yet again. The little redhead's competitive streak reared its head and she forced herself to increase her own speed. "Fuck!" She cursed as the cramp turned in to a shin splint and her leg gave way. She cradled her leg as she sat on the floor in front of the treadmill.

"You should have had a longer warm up." Emily looked up to find the stranger standing over her. She was biting her lip, holding back a smile as she offered Emily her hand. She begrudgingly took it and got back to her feet. "You need to walk it off and maybe next time stick to your own pace."

A blush crept over Emily's cheeks at being caught out. "Next time I'll be ready." "I'm sure you will." The other girl unashamedly raked her eyes over Emily's small frame.  
>"Sweetheart!" A middle-aged man with short cropped sandy hair called out to the girl from the doorway. He looked more than a little irked. The girl turned to look at him and shot him a wide innocent smile, the sickly sweet kind Katie often used on their father to wrap him around her little finger.<br>"Coming daddy." She looked back to Emily and gave her a wink. "See you next time."

"Fuck me, can you stop thinking with your dick for five minutes?" Katie sneered as she caught Emily watching the girl walk out of the room.  
>"Do one Katie." Emily rolled her eyes at her older twin. "Oh, I forgot, Effy's not here is she?"<br>"Bitch." Katie snapped back, glaring daggers at her sister. "Just because your girlfriend's a fanger!"  
>"She wasn't my girlfriend!" Emily growled out, the pain in her shin increasing her anger.<br>"Fucking good job you didn't shag it!" Katie laughed, though the sound died in her throat as she caught sight of her sister's pained expression. "Fuck, you didn't?"

Emily slumped on to the floor and cradled her leg as she let out a heavy sigh and hung her head in shame. "Yesterday."  
>"You're kidding! Fucking hell Ems! Your first time and it's with a fucking vampire!"<br>"Keep your fucking voice down!" Emily hissed, glancing around to make sure the room was still empty. The last thing she needed was her Dad or Samuel overhearing that; or worse James, their perverted little brother.

Katie sat down beside her and draped an arm around her younger twin, trying to comfort her. Emily forgot to be angry as she rested her head on Katie's shoulder and fought back tears. She had instantly fallen for Naomi and the feelings she had developed for her had been stronger than any she'd ever felt before and she had gone further with her than any other girl she had been with. She had trusted her implicitly and the blonde had betrayed her. "Want me to stake her?"  
>"No." Emily sniffed, she wiped at her eyes as she pulled away. "Like you could stake a vamp."<br>"You can talk. Didn't get that fucker last night did you?"

Katie had only been teasing when she'd brought up the vampire that had escaped, but it had stuck with the younger twin, nagging away at her for the rest of the day. Being cooped up in the gym with nothing to do but train hadn't help take her mind off the vampire either. Things had only gotten worse after they'd gone home and Jenna had found out about Cook and Naomi. The twins had had to suffer through yet another patronizing lecture on the dangers of trusting strangers and testing for vampires. Emily excused herself to her room after dinner, insisting she wanted some time to herself when Katie offered to watch a film with her.

Carefully closing the door behind her she went to her bed and pulled out the rucksack from underneath it. Inside was everything she would need to go hunting. The clothes were functional rather than fashionable. Stripping off her jeans she strapped up her injured shin so that it wouldn't cause her any problems and pulled on a pair of black combat pants that she tucked in to her sturdy boots. Removing her shirt she put on her Kevlar vest, it was stab proof and bullet proof, because even vampires occasionally carried weapons, but it was still light enough for her to be able to fight in. A plain black hoodie finished off her outfit and she filled the pockets of her combats with what she would need, including silver handcuffs, her knife and a stake. She opened her bedroom window and slipped out of it silently. She crept across the roof of the garage and lowered herself to the ground with practised ease. She and Katie had been sneaking out of the room they shared for years.

The sun had set a few hours earlier and the streets were dark and silent as Emily roamed them in search of signs of vampires. She doubted she would have to look very hard for James Rosenberg. Even if he didn't have the scent of her blood he would still easily find her. She had helped kill his brother. His _twin _brother. Rosenberg would find her; there was no doubt about that. She just had to be patient.

Unknown to Emily she had been followed from the second she left her house, but the vampire who was following her was not out for her blood. The blonde hung back as far as she could without losing sight of the other girl. Emily was a good hunter and she was cautious to check for signs she was being followed, but Naomi had over a century on her and managed to sink in to the shadows every time Emily looked around. She had gone to the Fitch household to try and speak to Emily, but when she had seen her sneaking out of the house she had decided to hang back and follow her. From the way she was dressed she was clearly hunting and Naomi had a feeling the stake in her pocket had her name on it.

Naomi knew she was angry with her. She was a hunter and she had slept with a vampire; even worse she thought Naomi was responsible for attacking her as a child. She needed to talk to her, to get her side across. If Emily knew she'd had nothing to do with her attack, and that she hadn't consumed human blood in almost twenty years, then maybe they could still have a chance to work things out. Naomi had never wanted a human so badly. She wasn't about to give up her newfound obsession just because her family were hunters.

Naomi needed to be patient and plan what she was going to do. Emily was armed and in no mood to listen to reason; Naomi would only get one shot to set things right and to do that she would have to immobilise Emily as a threat. She had been following her for over an hour when Emily made her first mistake. She veered away from the city streets and crossed over the Bristol Bridge in to Castle Park. The park was empty and the second they were under the cover of the trees Naomi made her move. Not feeding on human blood meant she was slower and weaker than many of her own kind, but she was more than capable of taking on a human.

Emily didn't see her coming. She pounced in the blink of an eye, her footsteps barely making a noise as she took the few steps she needed to grab hold of the smaller girl. She wrenched her arms behind her back and swiped her leg, dropping her to the ground.

Emily screamed as her injured leg was kicked out from under her. The grass was cold and damp with frost as Emily landed on her front. Her landing had been controlled, her attacker helping to lower her to the ground rather than letting her fall face first. Her arms were pinned securely behind her back and as much as she struggled she couldn't free them. She had suspected she was being followed and had thought a fight in the park would be more private than a brawl on the high street. She had been stupid for going out alone and she was about to pay for her mistake.

She wouldn't give up without a fight though. She was a Fitch. Fitches didn't just lie down and die. She kicked her legs, ignoring the pain shooting through her injured one and thrashed her body, trying to dislodge her attacker. "Stop fighting!" A harsh yet familiar voice barked in her ear.  
>"Naomi?" Emily's rage was reignited and she started thrashing all the more.<br>"Stop! Emily! Please." Naomi pushed her arm up her back just far enough to cause her some discomfort and stop her from moving. Her voice changed as she added, "You'll hurt yourself." She almost sounded like she cared. Like she was human. Emily wasn't buying it.

"Go on!" She spat out with as much bravado as she could muster. "Finish what you started! That's why you're here isn't it! Go on then! What are you waiting for?" Emily lay on the ground; her eyes clenched shut as she waited for the inevitable pain of fangs sinking in to her flesh.  
>"I'm here to set things straight." Naomi let go of her arms, though she remained where she was straddling Emily's hips. Emily reacted the instant her hands were free, flipping them over so she had Naomi pinned beneath her and her hand around her throat as her other hand scrambled for her knife. Naomi didn't fight her. Letting Emily take a dominant position would make the smaller girl feel safer and might even make her more inclined to listen.<p>

She had taken precautions of course. Emily's stake lay a good ten feet away from them and her knife was safely tucked in to Naomi's pocket. "Emily, please. Let me explain!" She implored the smaller girl to listen to her. "I'm not the one who attacked you. I swear! I would never hurt you!"  
>"Really?" Emily scoffed. "So what do you call jumping me in the park?"<br>"Second date?" Naomi tried to crack a smile but Emily wasn't amused. "I'm sorry. I came to your house to talk to you. I need you to understand Emily. I am a vampire, and I'm no saint. I've done things I'm not proud of, but attacking you is not one of them! I abstain from human blood. I haven't touched a drop in almost two decades. I swear!"

"How am I supposed to trust you?" Emily snapped, though the fact she was talking to her at all was a good sign. "You're a vampire!"  
>"And the tree who brought you to school this morning isn't?"<br>"That's different…Samuel is family." Emily gave up looking for her knife and sat back so she was resting on the other girl's stomach. Naomi propped herself up on her elbows and waited for an explanation. Emily bit her lip, toying with the decision to share one of her secrets. "It's how the Fitches became hunters. Samuel was my great grandfather's brother. He was turned in the thirties, he drinks from humans, but he's never killed. Not once. He and Dad work for the council, taking out vampires who go against the treaty."  
>"I've killed." Naomi saw no point in lying to her. Emily wouldn't have to dig very deep to find out about Naomi's sordid past. "I'm not proud of it. There isn't a day that I don't think about the lives I took; but I'm different now. I don't hunt and I don't drink human blood-"<br>"That's interesting."

Emily yelped as she was grabbed by her hair and yanked backwards. A burly skinhead held her by her ponytail and laughed as she lashed out at him. His fangs were out and far too close to Emily's neck. Naomi jumped to her feet and rushed forward to save her. By the time she spotted James Rosenberg and the stake in his hand, Emily's stake, it was too late to stop. Naomi's eyes widened as the wooden stake sunk in to her abdomen, splintering as it shredded her insides. She dropped to her knees and clutched her stomach, holding the stake in place to try and stem the blood that was pouring out from around it. "An abstainer…your kind makes me sick." James spat on the ground as he sneered down at the grunting blonde. "Treating the humans like equals. They're nothing but fodder!" Emily cried out again as the skinhead yanked cruelly on her hair. A growl ripped its way out of Naomi's throat as she struggled to get back to her feet. Rosenberg kicked her square in the stomach, sinking the stake in even further. She dropped back to the ground, spluttering as she choked on her own blood.

"Eugh!" Rosenberg's head snapped around as his friend starting making choking noises of his own. He found Emily's hand covering the skinhead's mouth, forcing him to choke on whatever she had shoved in to his mouth. The burly man dropped to his knees and clawed at his throat. Silver beads dropped from Emily's hand as she pulled it away.  
>"How cute, the little girl thinks she's a hunter-" Rosenberg's words were cut off as Naomi shot up and lunged Emily's knife straight in to his neck. The blow was clumsy and though it would have killed a human it would only slow Rosenberg down for a few minutes. The knife was silver so it would buy them some time. The burning pain of the silver as well as the blood loss would slow him down. Naomi wasted no time in snatching Emily's hand and dragging her away. They needed to get somewhere safe; fast.<p>

They ran from the park and over the bridge back towards the city centre. Adrenaline was the only thing keeping Naomi going through the pain, but after a few minutes of running even that wasn't enough. She stumbled and fell to the ground. "Keep going!" She growled at Emily as the younger girl stopped to help her back to her feet. She pushed her hands away and growled at her. "Go!"  
>"I'm not leaving you!" Emily snapped back at her, for all the blonde had deceived her she couldn't just turn off her feelings for her. "What are you doing?" Emily yelled as Naomi yanked the stake out of her stomach, biting back a scream as the wood ripped out of her flesh. Emily's hands instantly went to the wound, pressing against it to try and stop the blood flow. Naomi pushed her hands away again, though her actions were growing weaker as she lost more and more blood.<p>

"You have to keep going! He'll be right behind us! Emily, please…what are you doing?"  
>"Saving our lives." Emily ripped her bandage off her hand. The cut had re-opened in her struggle with the skinhead and fresh, warm blood was welling up in the palm of her hand. She shoved it under Naomi's nose, but the blonde wrenched her head away.<p>

"No!" She growled, using every ounce of self-restraint she had left to refuse the blood. She was tired and weak and had lost far too much blood. If she allowed herself to feed from Emily, to give in to the greatest temptation she had ever faced, she wasn't sure she could stop. "Just go!"  
>"I'm not leaving you!" The stubborn redhead repeated again, her eyes wide and pleading as she tried to force her hand to Naomi's lips. Once again the blonde refused to acknowledge it. Taking matters in to her own hands Emily snaked one hand around the back of the blonde's neck and forced her head forward as she brought her bleeding palm to Naomi's lips. The second the blood touched her lips Naomi's fangs shot down and sunk in to the soft flesh of Emily's palm. At first the bite stung and Emily had to force herself not to pull away, but the pain quickly eased and it became almost pleasant as Naomi's tongue gently lapped against the inside of her hand. "Ok, that's enough." Emily tried to pull her hand back as she began to feel light headed, but Naomi's hands had clamped around her arm, keeping it in place as she feasted on the sweetest blood she had ever tasted. Naomi had spent so long fighting the temptation to feed on a human again that she couldn't just give it up.<p>

She heard Emily shouting at her, felt the smaller girl trying to pull away, but the rational part of her mind had shut down. Her body was running on pure animalistic need for blood. She felt Emily's pulse slowing as her eyes rolled to the back of her head. Reluctantly Naomi relented and stopped feeding. The wound in her abdomen was far from healed, but Emily's blood had helped her enough to be able to carry herself and Emily. The smaller girl was close to passing out and could barely stand. There would be no lasting damage though; she would be ok after a big meal and a long sleep.

Naomi pulled out her mobile as she lifted Emily over her shoulder and continued to put as much distance between them and the park as she could. She dialled a familiar number and arranged to be picked up a few streets ahead. When she got to the meeting point she found Cook waiting in a car she didn't recognise. There was a good chance it was stolen, but Naomi could care less. She got in the back and cradled Emily on her lap as Cook floored it and got them out of the city centre as fast as he could.

"Christ Blondie, what's going on?" Cook narrowed his eyes as he looked at Emily's unconscious form in the rearview mirror. His eyes flashed to Naomi's mouth, where Emily's blood was still smeared around her lips. He caught her tongue darting out to lap up the last few drops and had to hide a small smile.  
>"I'll explain later. I need to get Emily home-"<br>"You're taking her home like that? With her fucking blood all over you?" Cook scowled. "They'll fucking stake you before you ring the doorbell!"  
>"Fuck." Naomi wiped her mouth with the back of her sleeve and ran a hand through her hair. Her heart was beating ten to the dozen as Emily's blood coursed around her body. It was like a sugar rush and she couldn't think straight. "My house. I'll take her to my house. She can sleep it off there."<br>"Gina's gonna kill you."  
>"Tell me about it."<p>

The lights were off when Cook pulled up outside the Campbell house. He offered to help Naomi inside with Emily, but she refused. The last thing she needed was for Cook to be there when she walked in with an unconscious Emily. Besides, taking Emily's blood had increased her possessiveness of the smaller girl tenfold. She didn't want any other vampire touching her; even if that vampire was her childe. After giving Cook her thanks she got Emily inside the house and up to her room. She laid the little redhead on her bed and began carefully undressing her, removing her boots and combats and her hoodie and body armour. She left her in her underwear and her vest and draped the duvet over her while she went to the bathroom to fetch the first aid kit.

Gina was waiting for her at her door when she got back. "You've fed on her." There was no anger or accusation in Gina's words, just an underlying sadness that was like a knife twisting in her guts.  
>"I can explain…" Naomi trailed off as Gina took the first aid kit from her and disappeared inside her room. "We were attacked. I was hurt and Emily…I didn't want to, she made me, I swear!"<br>"Enough." Gina silenced her with a single sharp word as she set to work on the cut on Emily's hand. Naomi's bite had helped it to clot, but the wound was inflamed. She sterilised the area before wrapping a clean dressing around it. Naomi sat perched on her bed, her hand running through Emily's hair while Gina worked. "We'll talk about it in the morning." Gina left without a second glance, unable to look her childe in the eye. Naomi couldn't blame her. Gina had been right to worry about something happening. Naomi should have had the sense to distance herself from Emily Fitch the second she had realised just how much she wanted her.

After fetching some orange juice and a chocolate bar, Emily would need them in the morning to get her strength up; she slipped in to bed beside her. She couldn't fall asleep even if she tried. Her body was wide awake, fuelled by Emily's blood and her senses were on overdrive. The very scent of Emily lying beside her had her stomach doing flips. She wanted to reach out and touch her to, to press her lips to her soft yielding flesh and taste her once again. She didn't of course. Emily would be mad enough at her without waking up to find her groping her.

Instead she lay in the dark, keeping a constant vigil over the other girl, waiting expectantly for every breath and every steady beat of her heart, reassuring herself Emily would be okay; at least until she woke up and found herself lying in Naomi's bed. Somehow the blonde wasn't expecting the same reaction as the first time Emily had woken up in her bed.


	12. Chapter 12

Emily woke with a start. Her eyes snapped open and her hand instinctively went to her neck. She had dreamt of the night she had been attacked again, though this time her attacker had remained a shadowy figure. She stared at the hand that had gone to her neck. It had been redressed, covering the cut and the two puncture marks that Naomi's fangs had left behind. "Ems?" Naomi's voice sounded in her ear beside her and her head snapped around to face her. The action had been too quick for her still drained body and the room around her began to spin. "Here." Naomi reached for the glass of orange juice and tipped it up for Emily to drink it.

She took a few small sips before lying back down, letting her head sink back in to the pillows. She was well aware she was lying in the bed of a vampire who had fed on her, but her body was too weak to do anything about it. Naomi hovered on the edge of the bed, ensuring she didn't invade the other girl's space. She offered her the chocolate bar and lay in silence as Emily nibbled at it. The blonde bit her lip nervously, unsure of what kind of mood the other girl was in. "I can make you some breakfast?" Emily shook her head as she finished off the chocolate. "You need to eat something."  
>"I'm fine." Emily finally replied, her voice husky and gravelly.<br>"I'm sorry...I took too much-"

"I made you feed." Emily cut her off as she rolled over to face her and pulled the covers back up to her chin. "I knew the risks...you really weren't going to feed on me were you? I mean, you could have died Naomi." Emily looked up at her with a probing gaze, as though she was trying to figure something out. She had not wanted to listen to the blonde the night before, it had taken Naomi's flat out refusal to feed on her to show her how committed she was to abstaining.  
>"I haven't fed on human blood in almost twenty years Emily. I couldn't trust myself to stop...I almost didn't." Her guilt played out across her delicate features as she dropped her gaze, unable to look Emily in the eye.<br>"But you did-"

"Emily, I didn't choose to stop drinking human blood out of some moral obligation. I had no other choice. I was out of a control! I was a monster! That's what feeding on human blood does to me. For a minute last night I was the old me again, and I could have killed you! Ems, I'd rather die than be that person again. I'd rather die than hurt you." The other girl surprised her by leaning forward and placing a soft kiss against her lips.

"Naomi, I can't just turn off how I feel about you because you're a vampire, but I can't just forget that you're one either."  
>"So where does that leave us then?" Naomi was desperate to reach out and kiss the other girl again, but she hung back, allowing Emily to set the rules.<br>"I don't know." She admitted honestly with a heavy sigh. She shuffled forward so that she could bury her face in the crook of the blonde's neck. Naomi wrapped her arms around her loosely, once again fighting the temptation to take things further.

She had expected Emily to wake up and starting screaming and shouting, she wasn't about to push her luck too far so she let Emily make all the moves. "My parents will freak if they find out I'm still seeing you...fuck!" Emily shot up and scrambled out of the bed in search of her phone. Her parents would kill her for sneaking out. "Whoa! Easy!" Naomi was by her side in the blink of an eye as Emily lurched forward. Her speed surprised them both. It had been a long time since Naomi had felt so quick and so strong. Emily's blood was to thank for that. "I sent Katie a text from your phone saying you'd slipped out early and gone to JJ's for some space." From the relief that flooded Emily's expression Naomi guessed she had done the right thing. She helped her back in to bed and wrapped the duvet around them.

"If it helps I think my mum's going to kill me first." Naomi made a joke about it, but she was fairly certain Gina was going to read her the riot act when they eventually got out of bed.  
>"If you're a vamp then Gina's-"<p>

"My maker. She turned me when I was seventeen."  
>"How old are you?" It suddenly dawned on Emily that the blonde wasn't the same age as her.<br>"I was born in Bristol in eighteen sixty-three. My family were pretty well off. My father was a doctor and my mother was part of the suffragette movement. The summer before I was turned I got engaged to a man called Daniel Reece. He was my dad's apprentice." Naomi had never shared any of that with a human before, but she needed to make up some serious ground with the other girl. Honesty was the only way she could do that. "Gina raised me to live the way she did, no feeding on humans, no hunting, no killing...I stayed with her until the mid-twenties. That was when I first fed on a human. I left Gina and turned my back on everything she had taught me...And I turned Cook." Emily listened quietly to her admission. She didn't seem surprised to find out she was Cook's maker. "But that's all in the past. Gina took me back, and I'm living by her rules again. Or I was until last night-"

"Naomi! Down stairs please!" Gina called up to her, her voice leaving no room for an argument. It was time to face the music. She slipped out of bed and found Emily following her.  
>"You should stay here Ems-"<br>No. I made you drink last night. I'll tell Gina that." Emily caught hold of Naomi's hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. "Like it or not we're in this together."  
>"Naomi!" The younger blonde rolled her eyes as Gina impatiently called for her again. She took a cautious step forward and pressed her lips to Emily's. The smaller girl didn't pull away, though she didn't try to deepen it either. It seemed they were stuck in limbo, unable to move forward but too entangled to separate. Naomi couldn't imagine giving up the girl in her arms, even without her blood coursing through her system she was addicted to her.<p>

Downstairs Gina was waiting in the kitchen. Kieran had already left for work, leaving the three of them sitting around the kitchen table. Gina took one look at Emily and clucked her tongue disapprovingly. "Emily, you look terrible! I'll make you some toast." Gina pottered about, putting bread in the toaster and making three cups of tea. "You'll need to eat too." The older blonde nodded towards her brooding daughter. Naomi pulled a face at the thought of drinking the pig swill in the fridge.  
>"I'm fine."<br>"Hmm, you will be. Human blood's all the more satisfying isn't it?" Gina narrowed her eyes at her.  
>"Mrs Campbell it was my fault. I made Naomi feed on me. I cut my hand and-"<p>

"Eat up dear." The older woman cut her off as she placed a tower of toast down in front of her. "I'm aware of the circumstances. We just need to handle this properly, that's all. After all we can't change the past can we?" She was talking about more than just the previous evening. "Naomi you're going to need to feed in another day or so. Cook can take you to a blood farm-"  
>"What?" Naomi though she was hearing things. Her mother had just told her to feed from a human. "No. I'm not going back to drinking from humans! I promised you I'd make this work and I will!"<br>"Naomi, the last time you went cold turkey..." Gina trailed off as she remembered Emily was in the room. "Well, let's just say it will be safer if we wean you off."  
>"No." The younger blonde shook her head. "I'm not feeding on anyone else. It was one time. I can handle this."<br>"And if you can't?" Gina snapped, her patience wearing thin. "If you snap? Who's neck do you think it's going to be on the line?" She looked pointedly at their house guest.

"I'm not going to a blood farm." Naomi huffed, though she knew her maker was right. She couldn't risk going cold turkey and attacking Emily, but she refused to go to a blood farm, nightclub's designed for vampires to meet willing donors. They were a new phenomenon that had popped up after the treaty between the vampires and the hunters in the early nineties. Most of them were seedy clubs filled with wannabes and _Twilight_ fans.  
>"I'll do it." Emily spoke up, breaking the heavy silence that had settled over them. "You can feed on me. You saved my life yesterday, it's the least I could do." Naomi easily could have left her lying unconscious for Rosenberg to find, but she had got her to safety and kept watch over her all night.<p>

"Emily, this is a big commitment. Naomi will need to be weaned back off human blood slowly, little and often. You could be feeding her three and four times a week-"  
>"I'll do it." Emily held her head up high and forced her voice to sound firm.<br>"No. Emily, I couldn't ask you to do that-"  
>"You're not. I'm offering. Feeding from me will be safer. You can feed as soon as you're hungry, so you won't need to take much and if you do try to take too much I can stop you."<br>"Emily-"  
>"Please. This is my fault. I want to help Naomi." Under the table she took the other girl's hand again, melting the last of Naomi's resolve.<p>

Naomi gave up with a sigh. With Emily Fitch begging her to take her blood there was only so long she could fight. Emily was right of course. It would be safer to feed from a hunter who could handle herself, and the thought of anyone else's blood was curdling her stomach to start with. "Right, that's settled then." Gina beamed as she heaped yet more toast on Emily's plate. "Ground rules, you tell me when you're hungry and you only feed in front of me. Agreed?" Naomi reluctantly nodded. The thought of feeding on Emily in front of her mother seemed almost as cringe worthy as having Gina watching them in bed. It would be safer for all of them of course though, so Naomi would just have to get on with it.

"Naomi and Cook are vampires? You're sure?" Effy frowned as Katie picked up the magazine Effy had been reading and lay out on her bed. The oldest twin had turned up uninvited and declared _they _were skipping college. Effy lay down beside her, her arms instantly wrapping around the smaller girl. Katie didn't even bat an eye lid as she flipped through the magazine. She had clearly gone to Effy for some much needed comfort, which the other girl was more than happy to provide.  
>"Yes I'm sure." Katie huffed as she tossed the magazine aside and leant back in to Effy's touch, craning her neck as the other girl's lips travelled along her jaw line. "Ems is gutted. She slept with Naomi before we found out."<br>"At least someone's getting some." Effy mumbled under her breath.  
>"Fuck off Eff!" Katie snapped, she tried to pull away but Effy pulled her back and apologised as she trailed teasing kisses down her neck. She stopped struggling to get away as Effy straddled her hips and pinned her wrists to the bed. "No fair bitch." Katie grumbled, though she eagerly kissed the other girl back.<p>

"As much as I'd love to take this further..." Effy momentarily trailed off as she caught Katie's bottom lip between her teeth and gave it a playful nip. "JJ and Panda are coming over soon."  
>"JJ?" Katie abruptly sat up, almost knocking Effy off the bed. "Is Ems coming? She went round his this morning."<br>"No. JJ and Panda went down to Castle Park, they're doing something for Biology. They've been there since dawn. JJ didn't mention Emily-"  
>"Fucking stupid twat!" Katie growled as she realised what her twin had done. "I'll kill her! If a fucking vamp doesn't get her first!"<p>

She pulled out her phone as she searched the mess that was Effy's bedroom floor for her shoes. "Pick up you stupid twat." She grumbled in to her phone as it just rang and rang. "What if Rosenberg's found her? What if she's hurt? What if...what are you doing?" Katie snapped as Effy snatched her phone out of her hand.  
>"Calling someone who can help...Cook? It's Ef. Get your arse to mine, you owe me a favour."<p>

"What the fuck? He's a vampire!"  
>"Exactly." Effy shot her the kind of look she usually reserved for Panda. "If anyone can track Emily it's Cook." Katie didn't like it, but she had to admit Effy was right. Cook would be able to find Emily a lot quicker than Katie would.<br>"Fine." She huffed as she collapsed back on to Effy's bed, resigned to wait for Cook to show up. "Just as long as he doesn't bring that bitch with him."

By the time Cook finally turned up Katie's mood had gone from bad to worse. "Take your fucking time why don't you." She sneered as he followed Effy in to the living room.  
>"Last time I checked I ain't at some hunter's beck and call." He growled back, earning a slap around the ear from Effy.<br>"Play nice you two." She scorned the pair of them. Cook's lip curled up, but he obediently fell silent and listened to what Effy had called him for. "Emily's missing. So let's forget all this vampire and hunter bullshit shall we?"  
>"Red's missing? But she was with-" Cook cut himself off as Katie's eyes narrowed on him. He instantly knew he'd said the wrong thing and regretted opening his mouth as Katie put two and two together.<br>"With Naomi?" She hissed. "If that fucking bitch has hurt her-"  
>"She saved her life!" Cook's natural instinct was to protect his maker. "Ems went after some vamp, she was lucky Naoms was there to save her arse!"<br>"Oh, how very convenient! She probably set that fanger on Emily in the first place!"  
>"Please." Cook scoffed at her. "She's over a century old, she wouldn't need any help taking out some little girl who <em>thinks<em> she's a hunter!"  
>"It'd be the last fucking thing she does!" Katie sneered back as she got right up in his face. Cook's fangs slipped out along with the growl that had been building in his throat.<p>

"Cook!" Effy snapped, stepping in to separate them. She turned her attention to Katie, trying to win her over. "Maybe we should give them a chance? Cook doesn't kill and Naomi doesn't even feed on humans-"  
>"Wait, what?" Katie took a step backwards, putting some distance between them. "How would you know that? I only just told you they were vamps...you knew? You fucking knew?"<p>

"Katie please, I can explain..." Effy took a step forward but Katie held up her hand, stopping her in her tracks.  
>"No. I don't want to fucking hear it Ef! You knew what they are and you didn't think to mention it? They're fucking fangers! They're dangerous!"<br>"You don't understand-"  
>"No, and I don't want to! It's us and them, you've made it clear who's side your on...Stay the fuck away from me and my family Effy!" Katie snatched up her purse as she stormed out of the living room and almost slammed the front door off it's hinges as she left.<p>

"Well that went well." Cook tried to make light of the situation but Effy shot him down with an icy glare. "You know where she's going, right?"  
>"Naomi's." Effy sighed as she ran a hand through her hair. "She won't forgive me. Not for this."<br>"You did the right thing protecting us Ef. You know that-"  
>"Tell that to Katie." She snapped, though she knew he was right. "We better go stop her before she does something stupid."<br>"Don't worry, our Naomi can handle herself babe-"  
>"It's Emily I'm worried about."<p>

Katie was far from the forgiving type. Emily was definitely the more reasonable of the twins; she may have been the better hunter but she believed in the treaty. She believed some vampires were capable of living without hunting and killing. Katie took after her mother and was more inclined to believe that all vamps were the same; ruthless killers who wouldn't think twice about taking human life.

Effy tried to phone ahead as she and Cook got in to her car, but neither Emily nor Naomi answered their phones. Katie wouldn't answer either. By the time they arrived at Naomi's house she was already pounding on the front door. Gina opened the door and looked puzzled as the pint sized girl pushed her way past her and in to the house. "Where is she? Where's my sister?"

"Emily's not here." Naomi stood at the foot of the stairs, her arms folded across her chest and her eyes narrowed at the intruding Fitch.  
>"Oh really? Then you wouldn't mind if I checked for myself." Katie glared back at her with just as much venom and tried to get past her to go up the stairs. Naomi didn't just move aside as Gina had though; she held her ground and pushed the smaller girl back, knocking her in to Effy and Cook as they barged through the front door.<br>"Naomi." Gina's voice held an unspoken warning. She was well aware that her daughter was pumped up on human blood and had never been particularly patient.

"Get off me!" Katie pulled away from Effy as she caught hold of her arm. "If I find out Emily was here, you'll be sorry! All of you! The Vampire council-"  
>"The council has no reason to get involved." Gina cut her off, her voice stern as she stepped in between the two girls. "My daughter and I do not feed on humans…and Katie, before you start trying to make trouble for my family I suggest you speak to Marcus, the leader of the Vampire High Council. He's a <em>very<em> close friend of mine." For the briefest of moments Gina Campbell actually looked like a vampire. Her words did the trick and Katie took a hasty step back.  
>"This isn't over." She sneered at the rest of them as she made a hasty retreat to the door. "And stay the fuck away from my sister! All of you!" Her glare settled on Effy before she stormed out.<p>

"She'll come around babes, just give her time-"  
>"No." Effy shrugged Cook's hand off her shoulder. "She won't."<br>"Wait, why's she mad at you?" Naomi looked from Effy to Cook for an answer.  
>"Because I knew about you and Cook and I didn't tell her. She sees it as a betrayal, like I chose you two over her."<br>"So why did you?" Emily stood at the top of the stairs, her angry expression almost mirroring her twin's. She made her way down and stood behind Naomi, waiting for an answer. "You could have talked to me Effy. You know I would have listened if you trusted them-"  
>"Unlike the rest of your family." Effy finally spoke up to defend her actions. "I'm sorry Emily, but I didn't have a choice."<p> 


	13. Chapter 13

"What does she mean, she didn't have a choice?" Naomi held Cook pinned up against the front door by his throat. His feet were dangling a good few inches from the floor. Emily's blood was coursing through her veins, giving her the kind of strength she had not felt in years.  
>"He didn't threaten me!" Effy argued, trying to get Naomi to see reason as Emily shrunk back on the stairs. It was one thing to know Naomi was a vampire, but seeing her holding Cook, a guy twice her size, up in the air like a rag doll was a stark reminder of just how dangerous she could be. "I protected you because you're family."<br>"What?" Naomi's eyes narrowed on Effy as she finally let go of Cook. He fell to the floor with a thud and rubbed at his throat.

"It's true." He confirmed and his voice was a little croaky from being choked. "I was just passing through Bristol, never meant to stay. Then I met Eff. I just knew straight off that she was related to you. Her blood, it was just screaming to me-"  
>"You've fed off her?" Naomi's gaze darkened at the revelation. The way Cook quickly dropped his gaze confirmed her suspicions.<br>"A couple of times, yeah. I couldn't help it Naomikins. She's your blood! So I stuck around…but she never told me Ems and Katie were hunters! I swear I would have told you!" It was natural for Cook to be drawn to Naomi's human descendants; vampires were often drawn to their makers and their families.

Naomi ignored him and turned her attention to Effy. "So how are we related then?" Generations had passed since Naomi had first been turned and she could have been a long distance relative of a third cousin for all Naomi knew, but Cook was definitely right. They were kin. Naomi had been too preoccupied with Emily to pick up on it earlier, but she definitely had a sense of affinity towards the human girl.  
>"Your brother had a daughter. She was Effy's great great great grandmother." Cook had obviously looked in to the genealogy.<p>

"He fed on you?" Emily finally spoke up again, glaring at Effy. "The vampire that attacked you that night, when Katie saved you, was it him? Was it Cook?"  
>"No!" Effy protested. "That was before I'd even met Cook. He wouldn't hurt me-"<br>"You can't trust a fucking fanger Effy!"

"Gee, thanks." Naomi remarked dryly. The tension in the room was slowly building and getting ready to blow. Emily realised her mistake but it was too late to take the words back. So she mumbled an apology instead.  
>"I'm sorry…but I'm right. You said it yourself; it's a struggle not to feed, not to kill. You don't even trust yourself Naomi." The blonde couldn't argue with that. In all honesty she knew Emily was right, but it still hurt to know she did not trust her. It was a reminder that they were on different sides. Emily came from a hunting family and as open minded as she was hatred for vampires still ran deep. It was in her blood. She would never fully trust Cook; or even Naomi for that matter. "I should go. I'll talk to Katie." She kissed Naomi on the cheek before she left, though it felt a little forced. Ignoring the others Naomi followed her out, using her speed against the little redhead. She caught her wrist, startling Emily as she spun around to face her. Naomi crushed their lips together in a more passionate kiss, willing Emily to kiss her back. It didn't take much encouragement for Emily's lips to start moving.<p>

When they finally pulled apart their cheeks were flushed and Emily was breathless. She rested her forehead against Naomi's, inhaling sharply. She shuddered as Naomi's fingers trailed a feather light patch across her cheek. "You can trust me Emily."  
>"I want to." Emily sighed, her lips seeking the blonde's again for another indulgent kiss. "It's just hard for me right now Naoms. With everything that's going on…I'm trying. I really am."<br>"I know." Naomi couldn't blame Emily for being wary of her and Cook. She had more reason than most to fear any vampires that tried to get close to her and her family. "If you need time or some space…" The last thing Naomi wanted to do was push the younger girl away, but if Emily needed time to herself than she would have to respect that.  
>"I'll come back tomorrow. Promise." She pressed one last kiss to the other girl's lips. "I just…I just need today, ok?"<br>"Ok."

When Naomi went back inside she found the others in the kitchen with her mother. "Cook was just telling me Effy here is family." Gina beamed at her as she fussed around with the teapot.  
>"Yeah. Cook might have mentioned it sooner." Naomi rolled her eyes at him. She would definitely have to have a conversation with him once they were alone. "Anything else you've kept from me?" She glared at him and watched as he shuffled uncomfortably.<br>"Nah. Nothing babes. On my life."

It was her mother's day off so Emily couldn't exactly go home while she was skipping; luckily that meant Katie couldn't either. She couldn't be at Effy's either so Emily tried her luck at the gym; hoping Katie had gone to see their dad first. She wasn't there either though. Emily helped herself to a protein shake from the fridge in her dad's office. She still felt low from the blood she had lost, but it was nothing a shake and a light workout wouldn't help.

She changed in to her gym clothes and did a quick warm up on the treadmill. The light run helped loosen her up but she didn't have enough energy for any more cardio. The weights room was empty like the rest of the gym and Emily had the run of the place. That was until the girl from the day before walked in. She flashed Emily a smile. "Hello again. Working hard?" She took a seat on one of the weight benches, though made no attempt to lift anything. "Would you mind spotting me? I've never bench pressed before…"  
>"Yeah, sure." Emily was wearing one of the gym's T-shirts and could hardly say no to a customer asking for help. Besides she'd seen far too many people injure themselves by lifting heavy weights the wrong way. "We'll start with something light." She adjusted the bar to the lightest weight and instructed the girl how to lift it.<p>

"I bet you could lift way more than this." The girl grinned up at her after she'd done a few reps. She was managing the small weight without any problems and Emily was just about to suggest adding some more when the girl offered another proposal. "Could you show me? I mean could you lift something really heavy?" Emily knew the dangers of lifting something heavy straight off, but she had warmed up a bit with the free weights and she wouldn't have to lift anything stupid to impress the other girl.  
>"Sure." She added a few extra weights to the bar, making it an even 100lbs. She could do more but with her injured hand she didn't want to risk it, and she needed the other girl to be able to grab it if she couldn't finish a rep. She'd just do a few reps to show her how it was done.<p>

She lay down on the bench and made sure she had a good grip on the barbell before trying to lift it. She lifted it off the cradle and took it down to her chest before slowly raising it up, careful not to lock her arms as she lifted it all the way. "Impressive." The girl smiled down at her as she stood at the top of the bench. Emily got the impression she was flirting with her. She was flattered. The girl was around her age, maybe a year or two earlier, and she was beautiful there was something about her that seemed sophisticated. Emily's hand was starting to ache and she could feel her cut opening again after she had lifted the bar a few times. She took it down to her chest but then struggled to raise it all the way up again.  
>"Can you give me a hand?" The bar hovered just below the cradle and Emily didn't have the strength left to lift it any higher.<br>"Of course." She took hold of the barbell and took the full weight. Emily was surprised by how easily she lifted it, but she got even more of a surprise when the stranger thrust the barbell down against her chest. Emily struggled to push it back up but couldn't make it budge.

"What the fuck?"  
>"Now now Emily, that's not language befitting a young lady now is it?" The older girl sneered as she pushed down a little harder. Emily gasped as the bar crushed against her chest.<br>"Get off me you crazy fucking bitch!" She managed to lift the bar a little of the way up, but the other girl was teasing her and quickly pushed it back down; the weight apparently no issue for her. "Wait, how the fuck do you know my name?" She hadn't shared her name with the other girl the last time they'd spoken.  
>"Oh sweetie, I know everything about you." She mocked her in a sing song voice as she hungrily stared down at the smaller girl. Her tongue darted out across her lips as her fangs descended, glistening under the fluorescent lights. "Right down to how you taste."<p>

"No. No, please no." Emily whimpered as reality came crashing down around her. Only two vampires had ever fed from her and Naomi was one of them. The other had attacked her as a child; marking her forever. Suddenly everything Emily had worked for meant nothing, the endless hours of training and the years of discipline, training her body to fight, it all meant nothing. She wasn't a hunter as she struggled and squirmed, pleading for her life. She was a victim.

"So you remember me now then?" The previously harmless seeming girl had turned in to a different creature all together. Everything about her, from the calculated way she moved to the low threatening tone of her voice, radiated danger. In the blink of an eye she moved so that she was straddling Emily on the weight bench, with the barbell still pressed down against her chest.  
>"Fuck you!" Emily spat at her, her own voice a husky growl. If she was going to die then it would at least be on her own terms. She wasn't going to let some fanger toy with her like a hungry cat teasing a mouse.<p>

The vampire chuckled at that. "I think we're getting ahead of ourselves there Emily. I'm an old fashioned kind of girl. I usually insist on dinner before I put out." The girl's lips hovered dangerously close to her neck and Emily cringed as her tongue darted out, lapping against her neck. "So how about we get dinner out of the way? Hmmm?"

"No! Wait!" Emily pleaded as razor sharp fangs pressed down on her throat. "You know who family are, if you feed on me they'll go to the council-"  
>"They won't get a death warrant for a little bit." The vampire laughed, her breath hot against Emily's flesh.<br>"No, but you'll get twenty years at least. Is that worth it?" Emily was desperate, but as long as the vampire was talking she wasn't feeding from her.  
>"Twenty years? I'm very old child, twenty years is nothing…but then I suppose you'll be far too old to turn by then. I guess dinner is cancelled." She sat up and tossed the barbell away as though it weighed nothing. Emily finally found her breath as she lay still and silent on her back. She had to think of a plan. She needed some way to get away from the much stronger and faster woman.<p>

"Turn me and you're dead!" Turning anyone without permission carried an instant death sentence. One that Emily's father and every other hunter out there would be happy to carry out.  
>"Not if you ask me to turn you." The girl ran her hand across Emily's cheek, much like Naomi had earlier. This time Emily shuddered for an entirely different reason.<br>"Why would I do that?"  
>"Oh trust me Emily, when I'm finished with you you'll be begging me to turn you. You see I've been away for a while, but I've still kept my eye on you Emily, and now I'm back. And you have my full attention." She bent down and pressed her lips against the smaller girl's. Emily lay rigid with her lips held tightly together. The vampire chuckled as she pulled away and got to her feet.<p>

"Why are you doing this?" Emily choked out, rubbing at her chest as she sat up. She was sure the weight had bruised her ribs, if not cracked one of them. "Why me?" The vampire lost her smile as she stared at the questioning child with a look so menacing that it chilled Emily's blood.  
>"Because a long time ago your family destroyed mine. And I can't think of any better revenge than turning the daughter of a hunter. Can you?"<br>"It won't work." Emily felt her confidence returning, fuelled by anger and her hatred of the vampire standing before her. If Emily had ever had any choice at all about becoming a hunter than the creature in front of her had taken it away the day she had attacked her. "I will _never _choose to be like you. I'd rather die."

"Exactly." The smug grin spread over the woman's lips again. "But you won't Emily. If you refuse me then I'll make sure you live long enough to watch me kill everyone in your life who means anything to you. Starting with that pretty little twin of yours. Katie isn't it?"  
>"Stay the fuck away from her!" Emily shot to her feet in her sister's defence, but the vampire easily pushed her back down with the smallest push.<br>"Well that's up to you now isn't it Emily? Give me what I want and Katie stays safe. And little James. He's a handful that one, you should really warn him about the dangers of talking to strangers. Even if they are beautiful women. We wouldn't want anything happening to him now would we?" Her cruel smile remained as she blew Emily a kiss and left.

Emily sat on the bench, not trusting that her legs would be able to carry her if she stood. She wanted to scream and shout and go after her with the nearest sharp pointed object; but she couldn't summon the strength to move. Her chest was aching and her head was spinning. Her stomach churned, threatening to expel everything she'd eaten that day. She wiped at her lips, trying to remove the taste of the other girl from them.

She was still sitting on the weights bench when James and Katie walked in. "Get here you little fucker!" Katie had chased James in to the room, trying to get her purse back off their little shit of a brother. They both stopped dead in their tracks as they caught sight of Emily. "What's wrong? Had a fight with your girlfriend?" Katie sneered, mistakenly thinking the tears running down Emily's cheeks were because of Naomi. "Out with JJ this morning? How fucking stupid do you think I am-"

Emily ignored her and turned her attention to James, grabbing him by the wrists to stop him running away. Even the effort of holding him was excruciating for her ribs. "James, did you perv on some girl today? My age, brown hair, attractive. I need to know James!" She shook him as he tried to pull away and started calling her a bitch. Katie, forgetting that she was angry at her twin, stepped up to help her. She slapped him around the ear and held him in place so Emily could let go. She leant back against the rail of the bench, scrunching her face up in pain.  
>"Ems, what's going on? Are you ok?"<br>"No." Emily replied through gritted teeth as she clutched at her chest. "This is important James, did a girl talk to you?"  
>"Yeah she was well fit! Gordon McPhearson said-"<br>"I don't give a fuck what Gordon said." Emily winced in pain as she sat up to look James square in the eye. "What did she say to you James? The girl. This is really important, ok?"

James suddenly realised his sister wasn't messing about. "She was nice. She said she knew you!"  
>"What else?"<br>"She said to say hi. That'd she'd see you soon-" Katie let go of James and shoved him aside, pushing him out of the door before she knelt down in front of her twin and took hold of her hand.  
>"Ems, what is it? What's going on?"<br>"She's the one. The one that attacked me. She's come back for me Katie."

James chose that moment to pop his head back around the door, ever the helpful little brother. "Oh, and she said her name was Sophia."


	14. Chapter 14

Naomi had felt restless all day, cooped up in the house. She wanted to call Emily, to see if she was ok, but she had stopped herself from calling all day so she'd decided to take a walk to clear her head. She found and herself wandering dangerously close to Emily's house. She could only imagine the fallout that had happened in the Fitch house when Katie had told them all about Emily's indiscretion. She had kept her word though and given Emily the day to clear her head. When the night had come she had expected Emily to come back, or to at least phone; but she'd heard nothing from her so Naomi had phoned her. She rang only one time and when Emily didn't pick up she got the message. She needed more time. It would be useless to hassle the younger girl and risk pushing her away, so Naomi had given her the night too.

She frowned as she stood at the front of the college, her keen eyes scanning the crowds of teenagers for the little red head. Her nostrils flared as she picked up the scent of another vampire. Across the car park Samuel pulled up in his car and stepped out to open the door for Katie. Emily was noticeably absent and the blonde felt her stomach drop. His eyes narrowed on Naomi. The blonde waited patiently for the oldest twin to make her way over to her. She tried to push past Naomi and ignore her like she wasn't there, but Naomi was in no mood for her games. "Where's Emily?" She grabbed hold of the younger girl's arms, stopping her in her tracks. She was momentarily startled as Katie yanked her arm away and shoved her, actually pushing her away from her. She'd had the element of surprise on her hands though. If she tried it again she wouldn't be able to make the blonde so much as flinch.  
>"None of your fucking business! I told you to stay away from her!"<br>"And if I don't?"

The blonde's voice was calm and level, but the threat was clear in her eyes. She would not be intimidated by some baby vampire hunter. "Then you'll know what it's like to have a family of hunters with a grudge all over your fat arse." Naomi chuckled as the smaller girl tried to square up to her. She had no idea what the blonde had faced over the decades; pissed off hunters included.  
>"Trust me Katie. I've been there. Hunters don't scare me, and neither do pissed off little girls. Now, where is Emily?" Katie glared at her with as much loathing as she could muster. It was clear she wasn't getting anywhere so she changed her tactics and went straight for the jugular.<br>"She's off sick. One of your fucking lot attacked her last night. So like I said, stay away-"  
>"What? Who?" Naomi snapped, annoyed that Katie hadn't mentioned it earlier, and even Emily herself hadn't been in touch to tell her. "Who was it Katie? Tell me their name and they're fucking dead!" She growled, Emily's blood still coursing through her and making her anger and jealousy all the more potent. The thought of another vampire touching Emily was enough to boil her blood.<p>

Katie took a step back and stared at Naomi like she had suddenly grown a second head. "You mean it don't you? You barely even know her and you'd kill one of your own for her. The Council would-"  
>"I'm not scared of the Council either." Naomi stared her down, making sure she was really listening to her. "I've survived hunters and I've survived the Council. I'd take on either to keep Emily safe. You don't have to believe me Katie, but it's the truth. I don't know what it is, but since the moment I first saw Emily she got under my skin, ok? I care about your sister, and if some vampire is after her then I'm the best friend you can have right now."<p>

Katie stared back at her, her expression set in a scowl as she weighed up the blonde's words. Finally she relented and nodded. "It's the vampire who attacked Ems when we were kids. She said she's come back for her. She wants to turn her Naomi-"  
>"The name Katie. That's all I need."<br>"Sophia. Ems said her name was Sophia."

"Fucking hell Blondie!" Cook gasped as Naomi pushed him up against the locker by his throat. He was struggling to get his toes to reach the ground as she lifted him up while a whole corridor of people looked on. Aware she was going to get unwanted attention she lowered him back down, but her grip around his throat was still like a vice. "Nice to see you too!"  
>"Where is she?"<br>"Who? I don't know what the fuck you're talking about Naoms-"  
>"Don't fuck with me Cook! No more secrets, remember? I know you know who I'm talking about. So where is she? Where's Sophia?" Cook's eyes widened as his lips opened and closed, making him do a pretty good impression of a goldfish.<br>"Babes I don't know what you're-"  
>"Don't!" Naomi pulled him forward only to slam his head back against the locker. "Don't you dare lie to me! I fucking made you Cook! Now tell me! What the fuck are you doing with her?"<p>

Cook started laughing, a low hollow laughter that quickly erupted in to a chuckle. "Yeah you made me didn't you Naoms? And you left me. You tore our family apart and then you left me! Sophia didn't abandon me! Family's important to her-"  
>"She's a fucking psychopath Cook!" Naomi finally relented and let go of his throat. "She's after Emily-"<br>"Boo-fucking-hoo!" Cook took her by surprise as he shoved her away, his boyish features contorting with rage. "Emily fucking Emily, that's all you care about! It's always someone else ain't it Blondie? It can never just be me! You fucking made me Naomi! I'm yours! And you just toss me aside like a fucking inconvenience! Gina, Emily, Effy…they all come first don't they? Well where does that leave me, huh?" He roared at her, causing even more of a scene in the crowed hallway. People had begun to stop and stare at them.  
>"Grow up Cook! You're not a fucking child anymore! I had to go back to Gina. Sophia had turned me in to a monster just like her and I couldn't live like that anymore!"<br>"And what about me?" Cook shouted back at her, his face growing red with anger. "While you were off trying to live the fucking good life what was I supposed to do? You had Gina to help you stop killing, I had no one! I was a fucking mess Naomi! Sophia took me back in, she helped me! You're not the only one who can change you know-"  
>"If she's changed so much then why did she attack Ems?"<p>

"I…I don't know." Cook admitted, deflating with a heavy sigh. "I knew she was back in the city, she turned up last week. Said she had some stuff to do. I didn't know it had anything to do with Red, ok? I swear! I fucking love that girl man!"  
>"Fine." Naomi huffed, accepting that she was as much to blame for Cook staying as he was. He was her responsibility after all and he was right, she had torn apart their family and just abandoned him to fend for himself. "But you see her and you tell her to stay the hell away from Emily! I mean it Cook, she touches a hair on Emily's head and she'll find out just how much of a monster I can be."<br>"Trust me babe, she already knows.

***  
>Emily stood wrapped in a towel, droplets of water still clinging to her skin from her shower. She stared at the jagged scars on her pale shoulder. She gently ran her fingers over the marks, wincing as she did so. They had stopped hurting years ago, but the memory of how they had been inflicted and the pain she had felt still felt as vivid as the day of her attack. She had barely slept the night before, not because of her usual nightmares. No, the reality of being faced with the vampire who had almost killed her was far more terrifying than any dreams her mind could conjure. She had sat up in bed with a stake clutched in her fist until dawn.<p>

"Do you want me to put some bio-oil on love?" Jenna Fitch stood at the door, watching as her youngest daughter struggled to keep it together. Emily shook her head and pulled the towel up around her shoulders.  
>"I don't think it'll make much difference." When Emily was a child they had tried everything to heal the scars on her back. Samuel had tried to feed her his blood, but they had had to wait until months after the attack. Sophia had almost drained Emily dry; if she'd been fed any vampire blood earlier she would have been turned. By then it had been too late to undo Sophia's mark. She had branded Emily, staking her claim on the youngest twin.<p>

Jenna hesitated at the door, unsure of what to do or say to help her daughter. They had grown distant since Emily had come out as being gay and neither had made any attempts to bridge the gap that had grown between them. Though Jenna wasn't outright hostile she had made it clear she was disappointed in her youngest daughter's choices. Emily was just thankful Katie and her dad hadn't let her mum know about Naomi. She wasn't looking forward to that particular conversation.  
>"I was thinking why don't I take the day off work? We can go in to town, do some shopping, maybe have a nice lunch? What do you think?" In all honesty Emily wanted to crawl back in to bed and pull the covers over her head until all the monsters went away; but she wasn't a child anymore.<br>"Sounds good. Give me ten minutes, yeah?"

A genuine smile spread across Jenna's lips as she nodded. "I'll make us a cup of tea before we go." She reached out to hug her and though Emily flinched at first she quickly relaxed in to the embrace. She couldn't remember the last time she had hugged her mother. It was nice. Once she was dressed the pair of them took Jenna's car in to town. Emily had her knife tucked in to a holster around her leg and the weight of the blade was definitely a comfort as they sat in the window of a coffee shop on the high-street. Her eyes kept scanning the crowds of people walking past, looking for any sign of Sophia or any other vampire.

"You're like your dad. You never switch off." Jenna smiled at her daughter over her cup of coffee. "It's not a bad thing. Your grandfather was the same…and not many hunters grow up to have grandchildren." It wasn't just Rob's side of the family who were hunters. In fact while the Fitches had been hunters since the forties Jenna's family had been hunters back in the middle ages.  
>"What was granddad like?" Jenna's father had died when the twins were still babies. The heroic hunter hadn't died in battle or come to any sort of violent end. He had simply passed away in his sleep because of an undetected brain aneurysm. There was a touch of sadness to Jenna's smile as she stared down in to her cup.<br>"He was the best…In his day. There wasn't a vampire out there that didn't fear him. Even Marcus himself! The mighty leader of the Vampire High Council!" She laughed bitterly in to her cup as she shook her head. "He was a good man."

Emily decided to change the conversation; there was a reason they barely mentioned her grandfather. As much as Jenna love and respected the man she also felt a lot of anger towards him. Michael McGregor had been responsible for the Brixton Treaty between the hunters and the vampires, and while many saw this as a remarkable achievement Jenna and the rest of her proud family had seen it as an embarrassment to their long heritage. He had killed one of the elders, an ancient vampire who had made up part of the Vampire High Council. The hunters and the vampires had been on the edge of all-out war as a result. The Council had known full well that war would reveal the vampires to the rest of society, something which the secretive race could ill afford. As a result they had approached McGregor for a truce.

But just as not all hunters had been happy with the proposed treaty, neither had all vampires. The childe of the elder who had been killed had not been willing to forgive McGregor, and had wanted a war to wipe out the hunters. They had sent another vampire to assassinate McGregor. She had failed though and would have been killed if McGregor had not spared her life. His act of compassion had won over most of the older vampires and with their support had come the support of their children and their children's children. Thanks to Emily's grandfather new rules regulated the turning of humans in to vampires. After the treaty no vampire could sire more than one childe and turning someone against their will carried the death penalty. Thanks to Michael McGregor, if Sophia turned Emily she would be marked for death by the Council. It would be of little comfort to Emily after the event, but at least her family would be guaranteed justice.

She felt her phone vibrating against her thigh and fished it out of her jeans to knock it off. Her display revealed she had six missed calls; all from Naomi. The blonde had been desperate to get hold of her all morning, but Emily still wasn't up to facing her. She knew she couldn't put it off forever. She had promised to help sustain Naomi and she knew that if she didn't keep that promise she would be putting someone else at risk, as well as letting her and Gina down; but the thought of letting another vampire feed on her was enough to turn her stomach, even if it was the blonde.

"I was thinking we could order pizza for tea, as a nice treat. What do you think?"  
>"What? Oh, sorry mum. I've got plans for dinner tonight. I'm studying at Naomi's. She's a friend from college-"<br>"Oh, yes. Katie's mentioned her."  
>"Look whatever Katie's said-"<br>"She said she was a new girl you've taken under your wing. She spoke quietly highly of her actually."  
>"She did?" Emily was more than a little surprised. Even if Katie had originally liked Naomi, which Emily seriously doubted, she held her mother's views on vampires and it was a miracle Katie hadn't told Jenna what Naomi truly was.<br>"She did." A little of the warmth returned to Jenna's smile. "She also said this Naomi girl is responsible for that smile that's been on your face lately…you'll have to invite her over for dinner one night." Emily was touched. Her mother was actually making an effort. In the back of her mind she knew it was only because Jenna had come close to losing her again, but she would take whatever baby steps her mother was willing to take. Of course the second Naomi walked in to the house Jenna Fitch would know she was a vampire and somehow Emily couldn't imagine her mother's hosting skills stretching that far.  
>"Thanks mum. I'll think about it."<p> 


	15. Chapter 15

"Hello love. Naomi's at college." Gina smiled down at the youngest twin as she opened the front door.  
>"I know. I actually wanted to talk to you." Emily bit nervously at her lip. "About Naomi."<br>"Oh? Well you better come in then." She stepped aside to let the teenager in. "I was just making tea if you want a cup?" She led Emily in to the kitchen and set about filling two cups. Emily took a seat at the table and waited patiently for the older woman to take a seat opposite her.

"Naomi said you and her don't drink from humans. She said you've never drank from them…so why did you turn her?" The question had been eating away at Emily ever since she had discovered Naomi was a vampire. If Gina wasn't really related to her, then why had she turned her? Gina looked up from her tea with a sad smile.  
>"Emily, you of all people should know that any vampire who says they've <em>never<em>fed from a human is more than likely a liar. So yes, I have fed from humans, but not in a very very long time. Naomi didn't taste a drop of human blood for her first thirty or so years. You see you don't miss something you've never had, even if it's in your very nature to crave it. I turned Naomi in Eighteen Eighty. She was seventeen years old and I wish I could say that she born in to poverty, or dying of some incurable ailment that gave me no other choice but to turn her…but she was born to a middle class family, a doctor and his wife who were comfortably well off. I fell in love the moment I first met her…not in that way." She added as Emily's eyes widened. "It was a feeling I'd never had before, in all my centuries on this earth. It was a mother's love. Turning her was the only way to make her my child. So that's what I did. I drained her to the point of death and then fed her my blood. Hers had been the first human blood I had tasted in centuries, and it was the last. After she was turned we couldn't stay in London so we travelled around Europe and the Americas. I tried to show Naomi the wonders of the world, and how to live a good life without harming humans, but then the Great War started and travel became harder. We came back to London in the summer of Nineteen Fourteen and by the end of the war I had lost her. She met another family of vampires, Sanguivores who fed on human blood. She became very close to one, a very twisted young vampire who persuaded her to try human blood. Just a drop; of course for our kind that's all it takes."

"What happened?" Emily quizzed as Gina fell silent, seemingly retreating in to her own memories.  
>"I killed a man." Emily almost jumped out of her skin as Naomi answered behind her. She hadn't heard the front door open. Gina however had, that's why she had fallen silent. Naomi stood with her arms crossed protectively against her chest. "Then I spent half a century killing, feeding on human blood, craving it above anything else-"<br>"Naomi!" Gina snapped tersely as the blonde's eyes narrowed on the pale skin of Emily's neck. "I think maybe it's time you fed…if Emily's still ok with that?"  
>"I'm fine." Emily carefully unwrapped the bandage around her wrist. The cut had started to heal a lot better with Naomi's bite and the puncture marks from her fangs were nothing more than pale red dots. Naomi shook her head, trying to keep her resolve.<br>"No. We need to talk first…about Sophia."

The atmosphere in the room changed the instant Naomi said the other girl's name. Emily's expression darkened and she withdrew her hand, going for her knife. "You know her?" She growled out, glaring daggers at Naomi. It was Gina who answered her though.  
>"She was the vampire who persuaded Naomi to first drink-"<br>"Mum." Naomi cut her off. "Please, can we just have five minutes?" The younger vampire pleaded and Gina relented.  
>"Right, well I need to pop down the shops…remember, no biting." She pointed her finger at Naomi and then added as an afterthought. "Or stabbing."<p>

Once they were alone Emily demanded an explanation. "I spent sixty years with Sophia. I fell in love with her, with her world… She's possibly the most depraved and twisted vampire I have ever met; other than the vampire who made her. She made me in to a monster, and it's taken thirty years for me to become the person I was before I met her. Thirty years of fighting the urge to feed on humans…of fighting what I really am." She stiffened as Emily pulled out her knife, her fangs coming out involuntarily. She tossed it aside on to the table, the heavy blade banging against the surface.  
>"You're not a monster." Emily trusted her enough to disarm herself.<br>"I'd throw mine away but I'm afraid they're attached." Naomi retracted her fangs and offered the redhead a cautious smile. Emily rolled her eyes at her, supressing a smile.  
>"Sophia wants to turn me."<br>"I won't let that happen…I swear I won't let her near you." Naomi closed the distance between them, her steps slow and calculated so as not to scare the other girl. Once she was close enough she knelt down in front of Emily's chair and wrapped her arms around the smaller girl.

"Why me?" Emily sighed in to her shoulder. "She said my family destroyed hers and-"  
>"What? Sophia and her…our family never had anything to do with the Fitches. A hunter called McGregor killed her maker-"<br>"He was my grandfather. Mum married dad and took his name, but she's a McGregor. Is that why she's doing this? Why she wants to turn me? To get revenge for her maker?" Naomi's face grew pale as she pulled back from Emily. Suddenly all the pieces of the puzzle seemed to slot in to place.  
>"Fuck…it's more than that Ems. After McGregor killed Jonas, Sophia's maker, she asked me to take him out…but I couldn't. I was tired of killing. Gina had found me and she'd been trying to talk me in to leaving Sophia…to go without human blood again…but I went after him anyway. I lost. He could have killed me, but he spared my life. On the understanding that I would stop hurting humans. The Treaty between the vampires and the hunters started as an agreement between me and your grandfather…And if there's one thing that Sophia hates more than hunters it's the treaty."<br>"She can't turn me." Emily mumbled in to the blonde's hair. "I won't let her."  
>"Neither will I." Naomi reassured her. She placed her lips to Emily's neck, intending to kiss her, but the smaller girl mistook her actions and jumped back. "I wasn't…I didn't-"<p>

"It's ok." Emily sighed as she struggled to calm herself back down. "You should feed though. Little and often so you don't get hungry, yeah?"  
>"Yeah." Naomi nodded reluctantly in agreement, still horrified by the way Emily had pulled away from her. She couldn't blame her of course, she had been attacked by two vampires in as many days and the hunter was right to keep her wits about her. They had to wait for Gina to return before Emily could offer her hand out to Naomi. The other girl wasn't enthusiastic about feeding in front of her abstinent maker, but she couldn't put it off for much longer. She sunk her fangs in to the palm of Emily's hand as she carefully held it with her own and brushed her thumb against her wrist in a soothing motion. She was gentle and the bite was little more than a mild discomfort as she fed from the other girl. She didn't need much, having fed only a couple of days earlier, so she was able to stop after a few minutes. It was difficult for her to pull away, but with Gina watching her and Emily squeezing her hand she was able to retract her fangs.<p>

Gina fussed around getting Emily a large glass of fresh orange juice and some chocolate biscuits out of the cupboard. "It'll take more than that to feed her." Naomi teased as she rummaged around the freezer and came out with a litre tub of ice cream. Emily's eyes lit up at the prospect of ice cream, but still politely ate the biscuits Gina had offered her. The youngest Fitch twin could seriously eat. Naomi wasn't particularly fussed with human food, but she had a definite weakness for Ben and Jerry's and took the tub upstairs with two spoons. Gina seemed apprehensive to let the girls be alone, but she still had enough trust left in her daughter to allow it.

"You look pale; do you want some more orange juice?" Naomi frowned as Emily laid her head down on a pillow once all the ice cream was gone; Emily having ate most of it. She put her hand to Emily's cheek to check she wasn't burning up. Emily dismissed her concern and rolled over to cuddle in to her side.  
>"You're hot." She mumbled with a smile as Naomi pressed her lips to her neck, this time Emily didn't budge. She lay curled up in Naomi's arms with her eyes closed. Naomi's own body felt on fire with the fresh blood and Emily was more than comfortable cuddled up beside her. She was close to dozing off when Naomi's phone started ringing. She fished it out of her pocket with one hand still wrapped around Emily. "Hello? Yeah she's here. Of course I'll bring her home, what do you expect me to do? Put her on a bus?" She growled impatiently in to the phone and Emily heard her sister's distinctive voice shouting down the line from the other end. "Your sister does my head in." She sighed as she hung up and pocketed her phone again.<p>

"Since when was Katie ok with me being around you?" Emily quizzed. The last time they had spoken Katie was ready to tear Naomi's throat out, yet apparently she hadn't even told their mum that Naomi was a vampire.  
>"We came to a truce of sorts." Naomi shrugged as she settled back down beside the smaller girl again. "I think she realised I could protect you-"<br>"I don't need protected." Emily frowned, though the way she was clinging to Naomi said otherwise.  
>"Yes, I know, you're the badass vampire hunter." Naomi teased her. "But you're still human Ems. You're fragile."<br>"Good job I have you watching my back then, isn't it?"

"Hello gorgeous, is this seat taken?" James Cook was in full predator mode as he slipped on to the empty bar stool beside a beautiful brunette in a low cut dress. She smiled at him, playing cool as he ordered two martinis. "So what brings a nice girl like you down to a place like this?"  
>"I'm looking for someone." She replied with a nonchalant flick of her hair, not remotely fazed by him.<br>"Oh really, well looks like it's your lucky night babe." Cook leant in and stole a kiss. The woman eagerly obliged.  
>"Oh Cookie, it's always my lucky night with you." She picked up her martini glass and brought it up to her lips. "So, Naomi knows I'm back in town then?"<br>"Yeah, she was real pissed." Cook rubbed at his neck. "She's going to make it hard for you to get to Ems-"  
>"Actually, she's going to help. She just doesn't know it yet." Sophia's lips curled up in cruel smirk.<br>"I don't follow." Cook frowned, not sure what she was getting at. He knew Naomi; she wouldn't let Emily out of her sight as long as she knew she was in danger.

"Think about it Cook, we could have our family back. If we get Naomi back on side it will be so much easier to get Emily. She needs to choose to be turned Cook, you know that. With Naomi as an incentive it will be so much easier to persuade her. When she's turned her family will come after me, and when they do they'll be breaking the treaty. The hunters will be responsible for starting a war. One we'll gladly finish."  
>"What about Effy? I thought the plan was to turn her and Red-"<br>"Cookie, who said our family has to stop at four? After all, there's strength in numbers, right? So you can have Effy, and Emily and Naomi and me…we'll be one big happy family, just like you want."


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: **Apologies for how long it's taken me to update, I've been side tracked with another fic and busy at work. Hopefully the next chapter won't take so long.

"Do you have to watch? I feel like a fucking fledgling again." Naomi growled as Gina sat with her on the sofa, Emily sat tucked between them. Her lips hovered at the redhead's wrist, but her fangs were still safely tucked away.  
>"You can trust me."<br>"Naomi." Gina's tone left no room for argument. "This isn't about me not trusting you. This is about keeping Emily safe. We'll see how it goes today and maybe in a few days…if Emily's still ok with this." She added hastily. Emily nodded up at her and took a deep breath as Naomi gave in with a heavy sigh. It felt like she was watching them having sex and it was putting the blonde off. Embarrassed or not though she couldn't hold off the temptation of Emily's outstretched wrist for much longer. Her hunger had been steadily building since she had last fed and even Gina peering over her wasn't enough to put her off.

Her lips touched Emily's wrist first before her fangs slowly descended in to the soft yielding flesh. She felt Emily tense as her fangs pierced the skin, though the other girl quickly relaxed once they were in and Naomi began drawing out the blood. The feeding process didn't have to be painful if the vampire was careful and Naomi was treating the smaller girl like she was made from glass. She cradled Emily's wrist to her lips, her eyes closed over as she relished in the ecstasy of the fresh warm blood flowing in to her mouth.

After what seemed like only seconds she heard Gina's voice in the distance, telling her to stop. It took a second warning from Gina for her to finally retract her fangs, but Naomi knew she had told her to stop earlier than she needed. She could feel Emily's pulse in her wrist, it was strong and healthy. She pressed her lips against the bite marks, softly kissing Emily before pulling away. "Was that ok? I didn't hurt you did I?" Emily shook her head as she shifted so she was leaning in to the other girl. Happy that Naomi was still in control of her senses Gina left the two girls to it.  
>"I'm fine."<br>"I hate that I have to feed from you." Naomi sighed in to her hair. "With what you've gone through…" Her fingers absently traced over her shirt, mapping the line of the scar on Emily's shoulder.  
>"I don't mind." Emily shrugged and she was being honest. "It makes me feel close to you…It doesn't hurt when you do it, not like…" She trailed off as she bit her lip, her mind was obviously elsewhere and Naomi knew all too well that she was dwelling on what had happened when she was a child; as well as what could have happened with Sophia only the day before.<br>"Come on, let's have an early night." Emily perked up as she got to her feet and tugged at the blonde to follow her.

Naomi was far from tired after feeding. Taking fresh warm human blood was like drinking a pint of Red Bull and sleep was the last thing on her mind. Emily though looked tired and run down, so if all she wanted was just sleep then that's what they would do; but as they reached Naomi's bedroom Emily pulled the blonde in close for a searing kiss and it was a safe assumption that she didn't want to sleep either.

***

"Does this mean you're talking to me then?" Effy smirked as Katie pushed her way passed her in to her room, Anthea having let her in the house.  
>"No, it means I want a drink." Katie snapped as she pulled a bottle of vodka out of her purse. "Ems' at Naomi's and you know I don't like drinking alone." She made herself comfortable on Effy's bed and opened the bottle of vodka, not bothering with a glass. Effy closed her bedroom door, clicking the lock shut to keep her mother out.<br>"Right, so you're stuck with me? What a shame." She slid on to the bed beside the smaller girl and took the bottle from her, helping herself to a large swig.  
>"I'm still mad at you by the way." Katie huffed as she stole the bottle back and brought it up to her lips.<p>

Effy shrugged as she waited for the bottle to be passed back to her. "You're always mad at me for something."  
>"Well you're always pissing me off." Katie argued as she kept hold of the bottle, refusing to give it back to Effy. She curled up on the bed and rested her head in Effy's lap, sulking as the other girl laughed at her. She softened her tone as she began stroking her hair.<br>"You're always pissing yourself off Katie...you staying over tonight?"  
>"Maybe." Effy's lips curled up in to a smile. She knew full well the other girl would stay the night. Katie didn't just hate drinking alone, she hated to sleep alone. The oldest twin was used to sharing her room with Emily, and more recently Effy. If Emily was staying at Naomi's then it was a sure bet Katie would spend the night with Effy.<p>

"So, she's your great fucking aunt or something?" Katie's tone was every bit as petulant as the face she pulled as Effy took the bottle from her. "She hurts Emily and she's dust!"  
>"I know." Effy knew better than to start an argument with Katie. Instead of provoking her she dropped her lips to her neck and began placing slow teasing kisses along her collarbone.<br>"You're gorgeous…"  
>"I mean it Eff!" Katie tried to sit up but Effy was determined to get her own way and pushed her back down, her lips never leaving Katie's neck.<br>"So do I." She purred in her ear as her hands snaked their way under the other girl's top. "I've missed you."  
>"I missed you too." Katie admitted with a sigh as Effy's hands wandered further up and brushed the underside of her breasts. She had tried to stay mad at the other girl, but when it came to Effy Stonem she found it difficult to hold a grudge. "But not that much." She giggled as she slapped at Effy's wandering hands.<p>

Effy reluctantly relented and left her hands resting on Katie's stomach, a relatively safe place for them both. "You can't lie to me anymore." Katie eventually broke the easy silence that had settled over them. "Ems is my sister. She comes first, she has to." Effy stiffly nodded her head in acceptance.  
>"Family first, got it." She didn't add that Naomi, and Cook by extension, were her family. "But you need to give Naomi a chance, Cook too-"<br>"I said I wouldn't, didn't I?" Katie snapped at her huffily, and though the words hadn't actually left her lips Effy knew that just by being there with her she was willing to give the others a chance.

"Cook's going out to a club tonight, we could meet him?" Effy decided to tread lightly around the smaller girl; she knew all too well that the oldest Fitch twin could be a little firecracker if pushed too far. "Maybe invite Ems and Naomi too?"  
>"No, she's supposed to be keeping a low profile…<em>we <em>canstillgo out though." Katie was always dressed like she was on a night out and Effy looked good in anything, so it didn't take them long to get ready to go out. When they eventually found Cook he was surrounded by a group of girls. Most were buzzing around him like flies, except for a dark haired girl sipping a glass of wine. She looked bored by the gaggle of girls, and by Cook. Katie instantly decided she liked her.

She took a seat beside her while Effy went to the bar. "Hi, I'm Katie."  
>"Hi." The girl looked only marginally less bored as she greeted her, not offering her name. She looked a little older than the rest of them, maybe a student from the university. She continued sipping at her wine until Effy took a seat beside Katie and took her interest. Katie felt a pang of jealousy. She was used to people looking at Effy, the dark haired beauty often turned heads; but there was something about the way the woman beside Katie was looking at Effy that set her on edge. It was almost predatory.<p>

"Katiekins!" Cook grinned as he pulled away from one of the girls long enough to notice her. "Friends babes?" He held his arms out for her but she turned her nose up at him. The fact that she was even there was truce enough. Unbeknown to Katie, Cook's cast a panicked glance in the brunette's direction, unseen by the human eye. She gently shook her head, barely even moving it. Emily already knew her identity; it wouldn't matter if Katie found out who she was too. Obviously there was a game plan though, there always was with Sophia.

Throughout the night Sophia kept her attention on Effy, asking her to dance, much to Katie's annoyance. Cook kept a wary eye on her, not liking the attention she was showing Effy. They had an agreement; he would be the one to turn Effy. He needn't have worried though. When he spotted Katie following Sophia to the toilet he knew exactly what she had been doing. The best way to bait the eldest Fitch twin was to ignore her.

"Stay the fuck away from Effy, yeah?" Katie was half the other woman's size, but she crossed her arms over her chest and tried to sound as bitchy as she could. Sophia wasn't in the least bit intimidated by her.  
>"I wasn't aware you were dating-"<br>"Well we are. She's my girlfriend, so back off bitch." Sophia started chuckling at her and shook her head.  
>"Oh Princess, it's not your girlfriend I'm interested in." Before Katie could blink Sophia had crossed the small space and held her pinned by the neck against the wall. "It's your sister…but I suppose you'll make a close second." Her lips had almost reached Katie's when the door opened.<p>

It took Effy a split second to put two and two together. "Get off her." Her voice was no different than normal, calm and almost lazy, but the fire in her eyes burned as brightly as the sun. She held a small silver dagger in her hand that had come from her purse. Though she had no real reason to Sophia held her hands up in surrender and took a step back. She knew the knife in Effy's hand would do minimal damage at best, even in the hands of a Hunter, never mind a child.  
>"Cook said you'd make a good addition to our little family…looks like he was right." Sophia smirked as she sidestepped past Effy, her stomach almost grazing the knife as Effy held it defensively in front of her.<br>"Sorry, I'm not big on families." She took a step back, covering Katie. "And you can tell Cook to stay away from us if he knows what's good for him!"  
>"I'll pass the message on." Sophia forced a false smile on to her face as she eyed Katie up and down. "Tell you what Princess, Emily keeps playing hard to get, I might just come knocking on your door."<p>

Katie had to grab hold of Effy's wrist to stop her from going after her as the door slammed shut behind her. She wrestled the small knife out of her hand. "No. You attack her and she can fight back in self-defence. Council rules."  
>"I heard what you said." Effy finally tore her gaze away from the door as she brought her hand up to cup Katie's cheek. "I was coming in the door and I heard you shouting-"<br>"Come on." Katie decided to ignore her and stuffed the knife in her own purse before trying to drag her out of the toilet.  
>"Where are we going?" Effy didn't budge, waiting for Katie to face her.<br>"Somewhere safe. Just trust me, please."  
>"Whatever you say, girlfriend." Katie rolled her eyes at the other girl, but squeezed her hand anyway.<p>

It was almost two in the morning when the taxi pulled up outside the place Katie classed as 'safe'. It took two stones to one of the upstairs windows before it opened and a scowling girl appeared. "What the fuck…Katie?"  
>"Let us in then!" Katie snapped like it was no big deal for her and Effy to turn up on her doorstep at such a ridiculous time in the morning. The blonde rolled her eyes but did as she was told. She threw on some clothes and was downstairs to open the door in under a minute.<p>

"What's going on?" Naomi hissed, trying to avoid waking up the human inhabitants of her house.  
>"Is Emily here?" Katie barged her way in to the front door with Effy following behind; she threw Naomi an apologetic look. "Is she fucking here?"<br>"Yes! She's upstairs. Sleeping. What's going on Katie?" Naomi led the girls in to the kitchen and listened to their tale. They were joined by Gina halfway through and Naomi began to tune out as she heard a distinct change in Emily's breathing. She was awake.  
>"You were right to come here. Sophia wouldn't dare attack on our territory. You can stay the night and we'll think of a plan in the morning, right mum?"<br>"Right, dear. Come on you two I'll set up one of the guest rooms for you. I doubt either of you will be wanting to sleep alone tonight." Naomi couldn't help but smirk as she excused herself to go check on Emily. Like her, her mother would be able to smell their scents all over each other. It was clear they were together.

"Where'd you go?" Emily huffed as she sat up in bed and pushed her hair out of her face. Naomi slipped in to bed beside her and wrapped her arms protectively around the smaller girl. "Did I just hear Katie, or was I having a nightmare?"  
>"Not unless we're sharing it." Naomi mumbled against her hair. "Her and Effy are downstairs with mum…they're fine." She added hastily as Emily sat bolt upright in bed. "I'll explain in the morning."<br>"I have to go check on her." Emily shook her head and climbed over Naomi to get out of bed. She placed a kiss on Naomi's cheek as she went.

She caught Gina coming out of one of the spare rooms and assumed it was safe to go in. Effy was already under the covers and Katie was busy stripping off for bed. Wordlessly Emily wrapped her arms around her and felt the tension between them disappear as Katie hugged her back.  
>"Knew you'd be here." Katie grumbled in to her neck. "You'd better be fucking right about Campbell being one of the good guys, 'cause Cook sure as fuck isn't."<br>"I am." Emily squeezed her tighter, certain of her words. "I feel safer here than I do at home."  
>"That's only because you know mum's going to kill you when she finds out about her." The older twin scoffed, though there was a ring of truth to her words. Jenna Fitch would not be happy about her youngest daughter dating a vampire; but things were getting serious and they had to come clean with their parents about what was going on.<br>"Apparently someone put in a good word for her." Emily smiled up at her with her big wide eyes. "Thanks."

She left the other two girls in the spare room and padded back to Naomi's room, finding the blond sitting on the windowsill, scanning the street below. She only turned her attention away from the window when Emily was standing right behind her. She turned around so that her legs were hanging down and pulled the smaller girl in close for a kiss. "No monsters lurking in the dark then?" Emily quizzed, feeling the tension in Naomi's muscles as she ran her hands up her arms.  
>"Just the ones in here." Naomi sighed glumly. Emily picked up on her train of thought.<br>"You're not the one to blame for all of this." She stood on her tip toes to press her lips against the blonde's. "Sophia came after me when I was a kid, long before I'd met you-"  
>"She won't give up you know. I know what she's like. She's nuts but she's not stupid, she'll have it all figured out-"<br>"Except for you." Emily objected, gently pulling her down from the window and back over to the bed. "She didn't count on me having you to protect me, did she?"


	17. Chapter 17

Naomi was glad she didn't need to sleep. Once Emily had drifted off the blonde had stayed up, keeping a constant vigil over the sleeping girl. Humans really were such fragile things and Emily was smaller than most; even if she could hold her own in a fight. She would be no match for Sophia though, or even Cook for that matter. Naomi had known he was still in touch with Sophia, but she had never guessed how involved he had been in her being in Bristol. It had all clicked in to place when Katie had told her he'd been with her in the club.

She'd obviously sent Cook to Bristol as a scout to keep an eye on Emily and to gain her trust. She'd probably planned to introduce herself as a friend of Cook's and slip right in to his and Emily's group of friends; which was effectively what Naomi had done. She'd probably scuppered her plans; unless she had been part of the plan all along, but that thought was enough to send chills running through her so she abandoned it and pressed her lips to Emily's neck. In hindsight it probably wasn't the best idea.

Emily shot up; her eyes open wide with panic as she pushed the blonde away, her natural instincts had kicked in at the feel of warm breath so close to her throat. Naomi barely budged, the shove having little effect on her, but Emily seemed to realise where she was and stayed in place on the bed, sitting up and trying to calm her wildly beating heart. It was pounding like a drum inside of her chest, sending blood coursing through her body and try as she might Naomi couldn't block it out. "Ems, I'm sorry. I wasn't-" Naomi blurted out, trying to apologise for scaring the already terrorised girl.  
>"It's fine." It was a lie, but Emily's pulse was finally slowing to a normal pace as she lay back down beside the blonde and cuddled in to her side. "I know you wouldn't do that to me."<p>

As strained as their relationship had become since Emily had learnt Naomi was a vampire she was still trying to trust her. She knew Naomi could have drained her dry while she slept; turning her back on a vampire and lying down to sleep was like putting her head in a lion's mouth and telling it not to bite down. She trusted the blonde though and knew she hadn't meant to scare her. She pressed her own lips to Naomi's throat and nipped at it playfully, earning a yelp from the blonde.

It hadn't hurt her, but she still pouted as Emily climbed on top of her. Her body was warm with sleep and her skin was soft as her thighs straddled her stomach. She leant in for another kiss, but the door burst open and she dived behind the blonde as Katie burst in to the room. "Ewww, fucking hell, can you two cut it out for five minutes?"  
>"Can you knock?" Emily snapped as she pulled the covers tightly around herself.<br>"Yes I can." She answered as though Emily hadn't been being bitchy. She plonked herself on the end of the bed while Effy made her way in to the room and took a seat in the chair by Naomi's desk. "We need to talk about what we're going to do. Cook's on Sophia's side, so that makes him a bad guy and-"

"He's not a bad guy." Naomi snapped as her natural instinct to defend her child kicked in. "He's just messed up. Sophia has this way of getting under people's skin and making them do what she wants. Give me a chance to talk to him before you do anything. Please?"  
>"He comes near Emily and he's dead." Katie glared at her, but she was at least giving her a chance which was a start. She was Cook's sire and that alone gave her more of a pull over him than Sophia. She just needed to get back in his good books and she'd be able to talk him around. Cook's problem was that as big and as brave as he liked to act he was really just a big kid who was afraid of being left alone. He'd had big issued with his family when he was alive, he'd lied about his age to join the war and get away from his mother, but it had haunted him leaving his little brother behind with her. Cook was big on family and when Naomi had destroyed theirs years ago it had unhinged him. Deep down she couldn't blame him for clinging to Sophia; he didn't realise she was just playing him to get what she wanted, just like she did with everyone.<p>

"I think we should tell mum and dad what's going on too. Tell them _everything_." She looked pointedly at the two girls huddled under the sheets.  
>"Fuck no! Why don't you tell mum you're shagging Effy while you're at it? She can kill us both and save Sophia a job!"<br>"We're not shagging!" Katie protested, her cheeks quickly turning red. "And I'm not dating a vampire, am I?"  
>"We are dating though." Effy added helpfully with a smirk as Katie turned a brighter red than Emily's hair.<br>"Not helpful babes."

"Katie's right. You should tell your parents." For once Naomi agreed with the oldest twin. It would be safer if their parents knew what danger they were really in.  
>"Fine, then you're coming for dinner." Emily knew she wasn't going to win an argument against both Katie and Naomi so she gave in and decided to be petulant instead. If she was going to have to face her mother's wrath she wasn't going to do it alone.<br>"What? No! No way!" The blonde objected, but quickly fell silent as under the cover of the duvet Emily's hand wandered higher up her thigh. "Okay, fine! But I demand plastic cutlery…preferably sporks." Surely Jenna Fitch couldn't do much damage with a spork? Emily giggled beside her and agreed to see what she could do.

"So it's agreed, we'll tell her tonight." Katie cast a cautious glance at Effy as though considering something. "You should come too Eff." Everyone in the room was surprised by the suggestion, even Katie, but nowhere near as much as Effy. It had only been the previous night that Katie had said they were actually dating and there she was suggesting Effy go for a family dinner with the Fitches. "She can't kill us both, right?" Katie sighed as she took Effy's hand in her own.  
>"I'll protect you baby." Effy smirked as Katie scowled at her and pulled her hand away.<p>

They all decided among them that going to college would be the best plan of action, they'd all missed enough classes to start arousing suspicion and the last thing any of them needed was to draw attention to themselves. Effy and Katie left the other two to get dressed, with a stern warning that they had ten minutes before she was coming back to get them. Naomi had made a comment about only needing five and Effy had had to drag the smaller girl out of the room and back in to the spare room.

As Katie started getting changed Effy sat on the bed watching her intently. When Katie stopped and stared back at her she let a slow smile creep over her lips, it wasn't her usual smirk, but a genuine smile of affection for the girl who was now officially her girlfriend. "I love you, you know that right?"  
>"Of course I do." Katie replied like she was commenting on the weather but abandoned any attempts to finish getting ready as she made her way over to the brunette and straddle her lap. "I was thinking, mum's probably going to freak out big time tonight…maybe we could go to yours after dinner?" Her voice had lost its usual brash confidence and Effy got the feeling she was talking about more than just a regular sleep over. Effy kissed her lightly on the lips, not wanting to push her.<br>"Yeah. Okay."  
>"Okay." Katie repeated like she was still talking herself in to it.<p>

It was still on her mind when they all arrived at college and she followed Emily in to the toilets. "I think I'm going to have sex with Effy tonight." Emily pulled a face at her as she fixed her mascara in the mirror. She'd heard enough about Katie's sex life since they were fifteen and she'd lost her virginity to a creep named Carl. Katie had never exactly been the abstinent type and it had surprised Emily that nothing had actually happened with Effy. At first she'd put it down to the fact that Katie had never been with a girl and was probably still freaked out about fancying one. She'd figured out the real reason a while ago though and turned to give her twin a rare and reassuring hug.  
>"She loves you Katie. She's not just in it for a shag. She wouldn't have waited this long if she was...you're going to Effy's right? If mum doesn't kill us first."<br>"Yeah, I figured we'd slip out while mum's throttling you for screwing a vamp."  
>"Thanks, you're all heart really, aren't you?" Emily rolled her eyes at her as she ended the hug and went back to checking her makeup.<p>

When they finally left the toilets Effy and Naomi were still waiting for them. They'd found Panda, JJ and Thomas as well. Naomi pulled Emily aside as the others headed to their form room. "JJ said Cook's not coming in today. I need to speak to him before we get your parents involved. I'll be back before lunch though, ok? Stay with the others and no running off on your own. Promise me?"  
>"Promise." Emily replied and was rewarded with a kiss from the other girl. She took Naomi's hand as she walked her to their home room and left her under Kieran's watchful eye. She had a vague idea where she could find Cook, and if all else failed she could track his scent down.<p>

"English first Ems!" Panda grinned at the redhead as she took a seat beside her, like English was the highlight of her week; though she supposed with their teacher resorting to using puppets to teach them Hamlet she was hardly surprised Panda was excited about the class. "I can't wait to find out what happens to that Hamlet bloke! And Josie's puppets are whizzer! I hope she's finished having her breakdown though, I didn't much like what she had Hamlet and Horatio doing yesterday!"

"What?" Emily almost choked on the water she was drinking as Panda started replaying the puppet's actions with her hands.  
>"Oh yes, Josie had what my therapist would call a 'bad day'." JJ replied with a perfectly straight face despite the fact that Panda had taken one of his hands and decided it was going to be Horatio to her Hamlet. Emily considered ditching the class; it wasn't like a substitute would be able to get much done with a class full of rowdy teenagers who were used to lessons plans involving puppets. She'd promised Naomi she would stay around the others though and she doubted either JJ or Panda would cut class with her so she begrudgingly followed them to the English classroom on the second floor.<p>

"Fuck." Emily stopped dead in the doorway as she caught sight of the new English teacher sitting behind the desk. She suddenly wanted to bolt out the door, but JJ was standing right behind her, blocking her only escape.  
>"What's wrong Emily?" JJ and Panda stood behind her, puzzled by why the redhead had suddenly stopped. Sophia's dark eyes looked up from the papers on her desk and met Emily's. A small smirk formed on her lips at seeing the young hunter so unnerved. Clenching her fists Emily pushed her fear aside and forced herself to take a seat at their usual desk at the front of the class.<br>"Nothing." She muttered in response to JJ as they started unpacking their books. She kept a careful eye trained on Sophia as the rest of the class slowly filed in.

"Settle down please." Sophia stood up from her chair and walked around to the front of her desk to perch on it. She crossed her arms over her chest and gave the group a stern stare until they fell silent. "My name's Sophia, and due to Josie's unfortunate episode yesterday I'll be covering this class for the rest of the term." Had Josie not been such a flake to start with Emily would have been willing to bet Sophia had been involved in her breakdown. "So, she'll be carrying on with Hamlet next term and we'll be studying one of the optional modules-"  
>"Please miss!" Panda's hand shot up in to the air. "But what happens to Hamlet?"<br>"He dies." Sophia replied without batting an eye lid.  
>"Oh." Panda seemed relatively surprised and Emily had to wonder exactly what she had picked up from Josie's puppets as it obviously hadn't been the same as everyone else.<br>"It's Shakespeare dear, everybody dies. Now, we're going to be studying the classic _Carmilla."_

Again Panda's hand shot up in the air. "Who is that miss?" Sophia patiently held her breath and counted to five before answering with a smile, like she was used to being interrupted every five seconds. How had she even passed herself off as a teacher? She supposed she looked the part in a pant suit with a crisp white shirt and her hair pulled up in to a bun. Emily was seething as she sat gripping her desk to stop herself from launching at the vampire as she answered Panda's question, her gaze boring in to the smaller girl.

"_Carmilla _is the story of a lonely girl called Laura-"  
>"Not Carmilla then?" Panda again. Sophia carried on regardless.<br>"One day there is an accident outside the castle she lives in with her father, and a young girl is hurt, that would be Carmilla." She shot a pointed look at Panda before the blonde could put her hand up again. "Laura recognises her from a dream she had as a child and the two become close friends." She failed to mention what Emily already knew, Laura's dream of Carmilla when she was a child had been followed by a bite to her chest. _Carmilla_ was the tale of a vampire that pre-dated Bram Stoker's _Dracula_by twenty-five years. There was a worn copy of the book on Emily's night stand and a bubbling anger rose up in her at the thought that Sophia had been in her room. In the room she shared with Katie; the room that was supposed to be their shared sanctuary.

Despite her family's legacy and her own experience as a child she had always loved the classic gothic literature, the likes of Shelly's Frankenstein and Stoker's Dracula among her favourites. Carmilla had always been her favourite though, maybe because the female vampire is met with a grisly end and the good guys win. The thought of reading it with the class, with Sophia, was enough to turn her stomach.

She considered saying she was sick and asking to be excused, but if Sophia offered to take her to the nurse's office then she would be stuck alone with her in an office that had no nurse and a lock on the door. Naomi would kill her for putting herself in that situation, never mind Sophia. So she had to suffer through the rest of the lesson, listening to Sophia's lips pervert her favourite book.

_"You will think me cruel, very selfish, but love is always selfish; the more ardent the more selfish. How jealous I am you cannot know. You must come with me, loving me, to death; or else hate me, and still come with me, and hating me through death and after." _Sophia's eyes never left Emily's as she spoke, the words of Sheridan Le Fanu, twisting them for her own purpose and twisting the knife in Emily's gut. They were scheduled for English all morning so Emily's torment wasn't going to end quickly.

Across the other side of Bristol Naomi had finally picked up on Naomi's scent and had tracked him down to a hospital. It had been a long time since vampires had had to steal blood from hospitals, and Cook was hardly the type, he'd always preferred it fresh from the vein. She followed him to a geriatric ward that smelt of bleach and death. She was confused by what he was doing there, until she pushed open the door of the room he'd slipped in to.

She silently closed the door behind her and walked up to the stoic Cook who was sat in the battered plastic chair beside the bed in the centre of the room. There, lying in the bed, was a frail old man struggling to catch his breath as he reached out for Cook's hand. The man was easily pushing the wrong side of eighty and his face was aged and worn with time and hard graft. It had been a long time since Naomi had last seen him, but even if she hadn't been able to identify him by his scent she would have still been able to tell who he was and why Cook had sought him out.

Naomi wrapped her arms around Cook's shoulders as she pressed her lips to his cheek. "Oh Cook." He didn't acknowledge she was there, didn't comment or even turn to face her. He just sat there, silently holding the hand of his dying eighty three year old little brother.


	18. Chapter 18

Everything Naomi had been about to say to Cook had gone straight out of her mind the moment she had laid eyes on his brother. "What's wrong with him?" Naomi could practically smell death hovering in the air, lurking in wait for the sick old man to draw his last breath. The last time she had seen Paddy Cook he had been a clean shaven twenty-two year old and he had been graduating from Oxford. Like his older brother he had left his mother the moment he could, though he chose university over the army. Cook had been proud that day; he'd also been missing for over a decade and hadn't aged a day. He hadn't been able to speak to Paddy then, or any of the other times he had checked on his brother over the last seventy years, and Naomi knew all too well that it was her fault. She had taken his only family from him, dazzled him with the promise of a new life and a new family; and then she had left him.

"He's old." Cook answered dryly. "Turned eighty two last month."  
>"James?" The old man croaked as his eyes slowly opened and he realised his brother was there. Naomi held her breath, she wasn't sure what Cook had told his brother, or if he'd even spoken to him since nineteen forty-one. The younger brother smiled up adoringly at his big brave brother. "Are we going to the zoo today?"<br>"Not today mate, maybe tomorrow, yeah?" Cook spoke to him like he was speaking to a child and Naomi realised why Paddy wasn't batting an eyelid despite his brother having never aged a day.  
>"Oh…have you seen my brother? He's coming to see me. We're going to the zoo." The old man was clearly confused and Naomi suddenly realised just how much she was intruding.<br>"I should go, but we _need _to talk."

To her surprise Cook followed her out. He stood with his arms folded across his chest, towering inches above her, he would have looked intimidating had there not been tears welling up in his eyes. "He has dementia. Some days he recognises me, sometimes he doesn't. It's nice in a way, finally being able to talk to him after all these years…but that's not what you want to talk about, is it?"  
>"No. You're still with Sophia, did she send you here? Keep an eye on Emily, get close so she can slip right in with her?" He chuckled and Naomi felt her pity dying as her anger flared. There was only so far he could push her.<br>"She don't need me to get to Red, she had that all sorted. I was just back up, keep her safe. How do you think I got to her so quick that night you was attacked?"

"The only person Emily needs protected from is Sophia." Naomi growled at him, her temper building with every word he uttered.  
>"Who's gonna protect her from you then Blondie? Ay? I don't see why you're being like this Naoms! You know you want things back to the way they were just as much as I do! So just fucking help us! Talk Emily around, she'll listen to you…then we can be a family again!"<br>"Sophia will never get her hands on Emily. She will _never _turn her and if you don't walk away from her now, then we will _never _be family again Cook. I will disown you!" He chuckled at her again and stood up to his full height, squaring up against her.  
>"You did that years ago babe. Give it time, wait till Sophia sucks your little girlfriend dry and we start our new family, you'll be begging <em>me <em>to take you back!"  
>"She won't get near Emily!"<br>"Where do you think she is right now Blondie?"

The second the bell went Emily darted out of her seat. Sophia stopped her in her tracks before she could reach the door. "Emily, a word?"  
>"I've got two for you." Emily grumbled back as she dumped her bag on the older woman's desk and perched beside it with her arms crossed, waiting for the rest of the class to file out. Sophia closed the door behind the last straggler before turning her attention back to the teenager sitting on her desk. A self-satisfied smirk was spread over her lips as she sauntered over to the little redhead.<br>"Now what were those two words you wanted to give me?" She stood between Emily's dangling legs and placed her hands on either side of her, leaning in far too close.  
>"Sexual harassment?" Emily snapped as she shoved at the older woman's shoulders. Of course it had absolutely no effect, but it made Emily feel better.<p>

"Oh sweetie, this isn't sexual harassment." She leant in even closer so that her lips were almost touching Emily's, the smaller girl tried to lean back a little, but she wasn't about to be on her back around a vampire. "I could give you a lesson in what is though?"  
>"How about you go fuck yourself Sophia?" Emily snapped and was grateful when the vampire finally pulled back, though she still stood between Emily's legs. "I'm going to go straight to the head and blow whatever little scam you're running-"<br>"You just don't get this do you Emily?" She giggled, annoying the smaller girl even more as she spoke down to her like she was a child. "This isn't a scam. I'm a qualified teacher, got my degree and everything…you see Emsy, what you don't seem to get is that I've been planning this for a long time. You're not some stray cat I've found in the street and decided to play with. I've waited and I've watched; I've watched you grow in to a beautiful young woman Emily, and the more I've had to wait, the more I've wanted you."

Emily felt her lip curling up in disgust as Sophia trailed her fingers along her cheek. Her fists clenched at her side and she felt desperation washing over her. She had presumed Sophia had left her alone over the years and had only returned when she was nearing eighteen. She hadn't thought that she could have been watching her for years. She felt her skin crawling at the thought of how much time Sophia had spent watching over her; obsessing over her.

"Why me? Why not Katie?" She growled out, trying to keep the other woman distracted as she inched her fingers closer to the pocket that she kept her knife in. The question had been bugging her for years. Why had Sophia chosen her over her twin? What had marked Emily for her death?  
>"I wish I could say something poetic, like it was your destiny, or that your blood was singing to me." Sophia chuckled at her own attempt at humour as Emily's fingers inched closer to the concealed blade. "But it was simply good timing. Katie was sick, sleeping in your parent's bed and you were left all on your own. So I made my mind up and I took my chance. I wanted to hurt your family, it didn't matter which of you I chose… I think I made the right choice though." She leant forward, intending to kiss her.<p>

At the same moment her lips grazed Emily's the smaller girl yanked the knife out of her pocket and tried to slam it in to Sophia's thigh. The vampire was too quick though, she caught Emily's wrist in mid-air and squeezed it until the knife clattered to the floor, a painful reminder of just how much stronger and faster the other woman was. "I think you'll fight me more than Katie would. That just makes it all the more fun." She purred, her breath hot against Emily's trembling lips.  
>"Know what will be fun?" Emily growled back, pushing her fear deep down and holding her head up high to look Sophia directly in her cold dead eyes. "The day I shove a stake through your fucking heart!"<p>

"Dream on princess, I've had bigger scarier hunters than you threaten to do just that…and I'm still here. Your Grandfather isn't though, is he?"  
>"Fuck you!"<br>"If you insist." Emily yelped as Sophia's hands clamped around her legs and yanked her so that she went flying backwards on the desk. Her head slammed against the solid wood and she felt a rush of pain as a wave of nausea washed over her. Sophia took advantage of her confused state and straddled the smaller girl's hips. She laughed heartlessly as Emily came to her senses and struggled beneath her. Her fingers wrapped around Emily's neck and pinned her down with just enough pressure to hurt but not mark her as she leant over right in her face. "Do you get it now Emily? I could have you any time I want. I could fuck you, feed on you, hell I could snap your pretty little neck…" She squeezed just a little more tightly making the smaller girl even more light headed. "And there's not a damn thing anybody could do about-"

Sophia was abruptly cut off as she went flying backwards through the air. She slammed off the door, her shoulder taking most of the impact with a sickening crunch. Her head snapped up as her fangs descended and a growl ripped free from her throat. Her eyes narrowed on the blonde standing by her desk, glaring back at her with just as much fury. "You don't touch her again." Naomi snarled, her voice was low and threatening and her beautiful blue eyes were almost black with anger. Behind her Emily scrambled to sit up and retrieve her knife from the floor.

"In case you missed it, she's wearing my mark." Sophia slowly rose to her feet and used her good arm to push her dislocated shoulder back in to place with another crunch. The pain barely registered as she began circling the desk, her eyes locked on Naomi and paying no mind to the human cowering behind her. "She belongs to me…Just like you did once."  
>"I never fucking belonged to you!" Emily could see what the other vampire was doing as Naomi began to lose her temper. She was goading her; and it worked. Naomi charged forward in the blink of an eye, intending to attack her, but Sophia had been counting on it. She used Naomi's momentum against her and caught her arm before spinning her around and slamming her against the door, causing the hinges to groan in protest. Naomi cried out as Sophia pushed her arm so far up her back that Emily actually heard the bone snap.<p>

"Let go of her!" She screamed and rushed forward to help Naomi, momentarily forgetting what she was up against. Sophia let her get in close enough to pull at the arm had held Naomi pinned before she once again clamped her hand around Emily's throat, finding it the most effective way to control her. She slammed her up against the door and Emily's eyes widened in horror as she found Sophia's lips crushing her own. Naomi watched on helplessly as Emily struggled against the other vampire. She tried to push back against Sophia, to free herself and end Emily's torment, but her arm was badly broken and she could feel the bone splintering as the older vampire pushed it even further up, making every tiny movement agonizingly painful. Vampires healed quickly, but that didn't make the pain any easier to bear.

After what felt like an age Sophia finally pulled away, a smug grin on her face. "Like I said, mine." It was clear she wasn't just talking about Emily. She released Naomi and the blonde groaned as her arm fell limp to her side, she cradled it as Emily stood by her side, ironically trying to protect her from Sophia. "Now why don't you two get out of here before I have to give you detention?" Naomi growled in response, her fangs still on show as Emily pushed her towards the door. If there was one thing her father had taught her over the years it was how to pick and choose her battles. She knew when to back down; but that wasn't the same thing as giving up. She would fulfil her promise to Sophia and drive a stake through her heart if it was the last thing she did.

She wrapped her arm around Naomi, glaring at Sophia as she helped her out of the classroom. Naomi kept a wary eye on the other vampire, waiting for her to attack again, but she let them go without further comment, smirking the entire time as she closed the door behind them. "We need to get you to a hospital-"  
>"Great plan Emily, and how am I supposed to explain how the bone is already fusing back together? Or my one beat a minute heart rate while I'm at it?" She snapped harshly at the smaller girl and her fangs were still out. They were lucky that the halls were empty with almost everyone else in class. Explaining Naomi's broken arm would have been hard enough without her fangs.<p>

The blond saw the flash of hurt cross Emily's face and felt her fangs slowly ascend back in to her gums. It had been painful when she had first been turned, the razor sharp canines ripping through her gums, but over the years she had begun to notice the pain less and less and barely noticed as they slipped back up. "I'm sorry." She let out a heavy sigh as she cradled her arm close to her chest, trying to keep it straight so that the bones would mend properly, the last thing she wanted was for the arm to set wrong and have to be broken again. The break, which would take a human weeks if not months to recover from, would be completely healed by the end of the week thanks to her enhanced healing capabilities. It still hurt like hell though.

"We should strap that shoulder. There's a first aid kit in the nurse's office. Come on." Emily lead her down to the nurse's office on the first floor and sat her down on the gurney in the middle of the room as she pulled the first aid kit down off the peg on the wall and began rummaging through it for supplies. She found a support bandage and after pulling Naomi's top up she wrapped the bandage tightly around Naomi's shoulder and under the other armpit to pin the arm in place and stop it from moving. Emily bit her lip as her fingers ran over the milky flesh of Naomi's side and she felt something stirring in her stomach. She could still taste Sophia's lip balm on her lips and it was making her feel sick. She tilted her head up and leant forward to catch Naomi's lips. Despite the pain in her shoulder she eagerly shifted forward and wrapped her good arm around Emily's waist, pulling her in close.

Her lips were soft yet insistent as she roughly claimed back Emily's. "Fuck!" Emily pulled back as Naomi's fangs slipped again and one of them pierced her lip, her natural instinct to mark Emily and claim back had gotten the better of her. A thin trickle of blood ran down her chin and Naomi's eyes locked on to it. She recognised the hunger that darkened the other girl's usually crystal blue eyes. "Naomi-" The blonde clamped a hand around her wrist and yanked her forward. She took Emily's lower lip between her own lips and sucked it, drawing out what little blood was left from the wound. A low growl erupted from her throat and Emily knew there was nothing more dangerous than a wounded vampire. Their accelerated healing took a lot from them and Naomi's hunger would be growing by the minute. She tried to pull away again as Naomi let go of her lip and her eyes locked on her throat.

"No! Naomi! No!" Her husky voice broke as she carried on trying to yank her arm back and used her other hand to claw at Naomi's vice like fingers as her grip grew more painful. "You don't want to do this."  
>"I really do." Naomi's voice was almost unrecognizable. It was thick with lust and hunger and it had nothing to do with the pretty redhead squirming in her grip. She had stopped seeing Emily all together; all the starving vampire could see was the artery in Emily's neck pulsating away. "Naomi! No!" At the same time as Naomi's mouth lunged for the smaller girl's throat Emily's fingers clenched in to a fist and slammed down on the blonde's shattered shoulder.<p>

The pain was enough to break Naomi from her daze as well as break her grip on the other girl's arm. The scream she let out was enough to bring tears to Emily's eyes. "I'm sorry, but I had to do it baby. We need to get you back to Gina, you need to feed and-"  
>"No. I'm sorry Emily." Naomi's hand clamped around her throat, just as Sophia's had earlier. Her eyes were dark pools of stormy water as they narrowed on Emily, her hunger once again getting the better of her. "I'm so sorry."<p> 


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N:** So I promised to have this chapter finished and up in the next day or two, started writing a few lines tonight and thought I might as well finish it. Once again thanks to everyone who's reading and reviewing; encouraging me to right at stupid o'clock in the morning instead of sleeping.

"Naomi, please!" Emily begged as she felt the sharp prick of the other girl's fangs on her neck and every muscle in her body tensed, waiting for the chance to fight or flee. "Please, you don't need to do this, you don't need-" She gasped as Naomi's lips clamped around her neck, sinking her razor sharp fangs in to the soft flesh between Emily's throat and her collarbone, missing her carotid artery but still hitting a vein.

She whimpered as she struggled to break free, making it more painful than the last time the blonde had fed on her. Naomi had finally removed her hand from around Emily's throat, but with her fangs sunk inside of her there was still no way for Emily to move. "Please! Please Naomi! Don't take too much! I just fed you yesterday!" Emily could already feel herself growing light headed and her panic began to build as she was faced with the very real possibility that Naomi could kill her if she didn't stop. "Please…" Her legs buckled beneath her, but Naomi wrapped her good arm around her to stop her from falling. It might have been an almost warm, loving embrace, had she not been feeding on the smaller girl against her will.

As Emily felt the arm around her waist it reminded her of why Naomi's other arm was hanging limply at her side. The bone would already be healing with the aid of Emil's blood and if she didn't act quickly her only advantage would be lost. She balled her fist up and slammed it down on Naomi's arm as hard as she could.

Naomi grunted and recoiled in pain, her fangs ripping out of the smaller girl. Emily cried out in agony as the sharp fangs ripped open a gash along the length of her collarbone. Her hand shot to her neck to stem the bleeding. The blood pooled in her hand and began leaking through her fingers. Naomi, the pain having brought her back to her senses, stared at Emily in horror at what she had done. Her eyes were no longer dark pools, but the normal vivid blue they usually were, wide and guilt ridden. She was torn between trying to help Emily and staying away from the sweet red blood dripping through her fingers. The sight and the smell alone were enough to pull at her insatiable hunger; she knew if she got too close she would probably end up draining Emily dry.

"Ems." She started, hating the way the other girl was glaring at her like she was something she had just stepped in, like she was just like every other vampire and the young hunter would happily drive a stake through her heart. "We need to stop the bleeding-" She took a step forward and Emily stumbled backwards, her eyes glued on Naomi's fangs which were still down, and would be as long as there was so much blood around.

Emily already looked pale and was unsteady on her feet. The gash to her collarbone was quite deep and she was losing blood on top of what Naomi had already taken from her; which had been too much to start with. Her eyes rolled to the back of her head as the dizziness washed over her and she began to shake, going in to shock. Naomi had to act quickly if she was going to save her. She took another step forward, but Emily used what little strength and cognitive function she had left to make a dive towards the door, it opened the same time as she reached for the handle and she was sent sprawling back. She slammed her head off the floor again and almost passed out from the searing pain.

A small pool of blood began to form on the floor where she lay on her back, clutching at her neck and groaning from the pain in her head. She heard a commotion and the sound of a desk splintering in two. Her eyes opened just in time to see Sophia bend down in front of her. She tried to call for help, but she couldn't force a sound from her lips. Naomi was lying on the floor in between two chunks of wood and metal that had previously been a desk. Sophia's fangs were out and her nostrils were flaring at the smell of the blood. Emily knew there and then she was going to die on the grubby school floor, or even worse, she would be turned in to one of the godforsaken creatures that were responsible for her death.

Sophia growled as Naomi tried to get back to her feet, Emily's blood coursing through her and making her recovery faster. "You can fight me or you can let me save her!" Conflicting emotions played over Naomi's youthful face as she weighed up her options. Finally she relented and slumped back down to the floor, cradling her still mending arm.

"This will sting." Sophia warned a second before she sunk her fangs in to the wound on Emily's collar. The smaller girl had neither the energy nor the will to scream as once again pain shot through her body and Sophia's lips attached to her skin. She felt the pulsating sensation as Sophia fed on her, but only for a second before it stopped. The other vampire's tongue lapped at the wound, removing the excess blood and cauterizing it with the anticoagulants in her saliva. The pain in Emily's neck grew fainter as the wound began to heal over, but it had little to do with Sophia stopping the blood.

Emily had lost too much already and her body was going in to shock. Sophia brought her wrist up to her mouth and sank her fangs in to her own flesh, piercing the skin and bringing a trickle of blood to the surface. "No!" Naomi growled and lunged for her again, but Sophia was still older and stronger and she swatted her away like she was an irksome fly, sending Naomi flying back in to the debris of the desk and slamming her against the back wall. It took her longer to get back up this time and by the time she did Sophia had already put her wrist against Emily's mouth and ordered her to drink.

The smaller girl was fighting it, but she had little fight left in her and the blood was dripping in to her mouth regardless. "Drink now and there's a chance you'll live, leave it any longer and you'll be turned." Sophia growled. Nothing would make her happier than to turn the hunter's daughter, but she wanted to be the one responsible for her mortal death, not her saviour.

Somewhere in the fog of Emily's mind she registered the vampire's words and her lips latched on to her wrist, sucking at the blood that flowed freely from the bite. A vampire's skin was tougher than an elephants and often took a very sharp blade to cut, which was why Emily sharpened her pocket knife twice daily. Older vampires who fed on human blood also healed incredibly quickly, had Sophia not bitten herself the wound would have closed instantly.

The redhead recoiled at the taste of the blood, but Sophia kept her hand at the back of her head, keeping her mouth fixed over her bleeding wrist. The healing properties in a vampire's blood came from their cells' abilities to replicate themselves and to change their purpose. When old cells died new healthy ones would replace them, turning themselves in to whatever they needed to be, much like a silk worm. This was what stopped vampires from aging a day past the day they had been turned. The vampire DNA was like a virus, spreading through the vampire and replacing every cell, freezing the vampire at the age they had been turned and preventing them from contracting disease. In essence it was what made vampires immortal.

Emily knew it wouldn't take much of Sophia's blood to save her life and was thankful when the older woman finally pulled her arm away. Emily rolled on to her side, trying to stop herself from coughing and choking on the blood that was supposed to save her life. She knew the odds were against her, if she'd lost too much of her own blood then the vampire cells would destroy her own, changing her in to the very creature her family hunted.

She felt a searing heat throughout her body as though she were running a fever. Her body was battling against the foreign cells that were trying to replicate in to blood cells to save her. "Emily?" Naomi scrambled over to her side and the redhead felt her fear welling up again. Naomi had done this to her. She was the reason Emily was lying in a pool of her own blood, fighting to keep her humanity.  
>"Go." She growled out through the pain as crippling spasms wrecked her body. Sophia held on to her limbs, stopping her from hurting herself as she thrashed wildly on the floor. She would rather take her chances with Sophia than with Naomi.<p>

Pain flashed across the blonde's face as she realised Emily was casting her out. She was torn between respecting her wishes and staying to help her, but Sophia made her decision for her and let off a low growl that was warning Naomi to do as she was told. She snarled back at her, her territorial instincts kicking in with her veins full of Emily's blood. Her snarl only served to frighten Emily more and the younger girl started whimpering again. The sound was like a physical blow to Naomi and she was forced to do as she asked; but not before she bent over her and squeezed her hand. She felt her tense in fear and loathed herself for what she had done to her.

"I'm sorry. Please Emily, I didn't mean to do this…I can't leave you like this-"  
>"Go." Emily clenched her eyes shut as tears stung at them and rolled down her cheeks. She had trusted the blonde with her life and if the pain she was in was anything to go by she was going to pay for that mistake. Eventually Naomi reluctantly did as Emily asked and she was left alone with Sophia in the nurse's office.<p>

She wasn't frightened of the other vampire anymore. There was nothing she could do to her. She was getting exactly what she wanted anyway. Emily was being turned, and to add the icing to the cake it wouldn't be Sophia's responsibility. Naomi had inflicted the wound; Sophia had fed Emily her blood to save her life, with the young hunter's permission. There was nothing either the Fitches or the Vampire Council could do to her. Naomi on the other hand would be another matter. She would have to run a lot further than to Ireland to escape the wrath of the Fitch family.

She thought of her great Uncle Sam and wondered whether if she did turn she would be like him, able to control her hunger, or like Sophia; a ruthless killer. "I'm going to move you now, ok?" Sophia's voice was softer than Emily ever remembered it being as the vampire gently scooped her up in to her arms and carried her over to the reclining examination table in the middle of the room. The pain was beginning to die down and the movement caused Emily little distress.

Her eyelids felt heavy as she struggled to keep them open, somehow she knew that if they closed she would lose her fight and wake as something far from human. "The blood." She mumbled, trying to keep herself alert by talking. "Why didn't you…you didn't drink…" She swallowed as bile rose in her throat and brought back the tangy taste of blood.

The sight of the blood had almost been enough to send Naomi back in to her frenzy, but Sophia had been able to bite Emily without actually feeding from her, healing her wound without any further damage. The older vampire stood over Emily, stroking her hair back from her face. Her body was covered in a feverish sweat and her hair was sticky with blood. "That's simple." Sophia replied like it should have been obvious to the hunter. "Unlike Naomi I'm not ruled by my thirst, I don't spend each waking moment fighting my nature. I embrace it. I feed from who I want, when I want. I don't deny myself anything, so as alluring as your blood is Emily, I could ignore it to save your life. Had Naomi been able to do the same she could have saved you much earlier." _Without the risk of turning you._The unspoken accusation hung heavily in the air as Emily's eyes slipped shut once again. "Hell, if she drank human blood instead of that pig swill she wouldn't have even needed to feed on you."

Emily fought to open her eyes again and managed to keep them open long enough to look Sophia in the eye as she questioned her. "What if I turn? What was your grand plan?" Her words began to slur together as the darkness got its hold on her, threatening to pull her under in to a sleep that the human Emily Fitch would never wake from. Sophia smirked down at her as she stroked her cheek, something akin to actual affection in her eyes.  
>"I'll make my new family of course. And I'll win Naomi back. It was never part of the original plan, but I'm not going to let a golden opportunity pass me by. Knowing that she's responsible for this will shatter her; and we'll be there to pick up the pieces Emily." She leant down and pressed her lips to Emily's as the redhead's eyes fluttered shut for the last time.<p>

Calmly the vampire walked over to the door and turned the lock, protecting them from any unwanted visitors. Then she pulled up a seat and sat by the unconscious teenager, waiting for her to wake. Emily had been pretty close to going in to shock before she had intervened, but that was no guarantee that she would turn. Some people turned easier than others; while some people fought so hard their bodies eventually just gave out, killing them before the vampire's cells could take over. Emily was a Fitch and a fighter, it was literally engraved in her DNA to fight. Sophia couldn't be sure what would happen to the other girl until the battle raging inside of her body was over and she regained consciousness. Until then she resigned herself to sitting by her bedside, looking for any sign that Emily was turning.


	20. Chapter 20

"You did what?" Katie roared as she pushed Naomi so hard the vampire actually stumbled back a step.  
>"We don't have fucking time for this Katie!" She growled, still struggling to keep her rage in check. Emily's blood was pumping through her and every sense she had felt like it was in overdrive. Years without feeding on human blood had left her body and her mind dulled to point that she had been little better than the humans she tried to fit in with. But with how much she had taken from Emily it felt like an explosion had gone off in her mind and her body was completely wired. She felt how she had when she'd first been turned, like she was seeing the world for the first time again and everything was too bright and too loud. "Sophia has Emily, and if she's turned-"<p>

"If she's turned you're fucking dead!" Katie screamed, lunging for the blonde again. Effy caught her around the waist and held her back, ever the voice of reason.  
>"Katie, finding Emily has to be your priority." She spoke softly and calmly in to her girlfriend's ear and was perhaps the only person in the world who could stop Katie's murderous rage with such few words. The oldest twin nodded and slumped in Effy's arms, the fight going from her as she realised the implications of what Naomi had told her. There was a chance her twin was dead and gone, replaced by one of the very monsters they had been training to kill their whole life.<p>

A new determination replaced her anger as she pulled away from Effy and glared at the vampire who had attacked her sister. "We find Ems. If she's still human then she chooses what we do…but if she tells me to, I'll be more than fucking happy to shove a stake through your cold dead heart."  
>"And I'll let you." Naomi replied without a trace of sarcasm or a hint of defence. If Emily wanted her dead then she would gladly drop to her knees and let Katie end her life. She had almost killed the only human she had loved since being turned, she wasn't sure she could live with that guilt anyway.<p>

Naomi was confident she could easily track Emily down, but trying to get her to go anywhere with her might not have been so simple had she not sought out Katie and admitted what had happened to her sister. If Emily was still alive then between them they'd be able to get her back, but if she had been turned then she would be bound to Sophia as strongly as Naomi was to Gina, or Cook to Naomi. The blood bond between vampires and their children were stronger than human bonds. If Sophia had infected Emily then her human affinity to her family and friends would be trumped by the blood she shared with the older vampire. As a new-born Emily would be feral and blood thirsty, and completely dependent on Sophia for guidance. Naomi prayed to a god she had long ago turned her back on that they would find Emily alive and well.

When Emily's snapped open some hours later she found the world around her had been plunged in to a thick darkness. She tried to sit up, but her head felt heavy and her vision began to swim in front of her, so she lay still with her head buried in a silk pillow. She was vaguely aware the examination bed in the nurse's office did not have silk pillows and was nowhere near as comfortable as the bed she was lying in, but then she hadn't expected Sophia to just leave her in the trashed office with her blood all over the place. Sophia was old enough to resists ripping Emily's throat up at the first scent of her blood, but had she stayed in the room with it for too long her self control would have run out pretty quickly.

The office of course would be free from any trace of Emily's blood, of that she was sure. The broken desk and the hole in the wall from where Naomi had been flung in to would probably still be there, but vampires had been covering their tracks for thousands of years. If there was one thing they did best it was clean up after themselves.

Emily kicked the covers off her, for all they were thin silk sheets she felt like she was boiling in her own skin. Vampires had no need for thick warm blankets; their body temperatures were well controlled and would only feel the extreme cold. The sheets and even the bed itself were all for show. The perfect hunter knew exactly how to fit in amongst its oblivious prey.

She turned her head as the door of whatever room she was being held in opened, letting in a sliver of artificial light from the bulb hanging outside in the passage. Emily's eyes clamped shut as the obtrusive light stung them. She heard the door click shut and when her eyes twitched open again the darkness was back. Her eyes adjusted and focused on Sophia as the other woman perched on the edge of the bed and placed a wet cloth over the smaller girl's head. The relief from the cold cloth was pure bliss as Emily's body continued to burn.

"You have a fever. It'll pass." Sophia informed her as she took hold of her wrist to check her pulse and then held her cheeks as she checked her eyes. They were bloodshot with a yellow tinge that like the fever would eventually go.  
>"Where am I?" Emily croaked. Her voice was even huskier than usual. Her throat felt like she had swallowed shards of glass and she felt a tug of pain at the base of her neck, where Naomi's fangs had ripped her skin apart like tissue paper. Sophia had cauterised the wound and her blood would eventually heal the wound completely, but as Emily's fingers ran over her collar she felt two long jagged scars that were far from healed.<p>

She felt tears stinging at her eyes as relief flooded through her body and she let out the breath she had been holding since waking up. She was still hurt and the pain pulsating through her throat was a glorious reassurance that she was still alive. Had she become a vampire she would have woken with her body in perfect condition.

"You're in my bed, not quite how I imagined it I must admit." She ran a hand across Emily's cheek and the smaller girl shuddered. "I couldn't leave you at the college. I thought here would be safest."  
>"And I was expecting a dungeon." Emily grumbled, each word forced through gritted teeth as her neck ached. Sophia chuckled at that.<br>"Well I could arrange some chains if that's what you're in to..."  
>"No!" Emily snapped hoarsely. She tried to sit up again but her head was spinning and the nauseous feeling in her stomach increased tenfold, as though she'd just tumbled out of a washing machine on a fast spin.<p>

A firm hand on her shoulder pressed her back down before Sophia replaced the cold cloth against her forehead. "Don't worry Emily, those kind of games can wait until you're back on your feet."  
>"I will fucking kill you." The redhead growled, though she was hardly a threat as she lay there looking as small and fragile as a china doll. Her flesh was still a ghostly white, except for the scars on her neck which were a big red mess.<p>

Sophia clucked her tongue and shook her head. "Now, now, is that any way to talk to the person who saved your life?" She was right and that made Emily's stomach churn all the more. She owed her life to the vampire who had almost claimed it when she was a child. That didn't mean she had to be nice to her though.  
>"You're not a person. You're a monster."<br>"And what does that make Naomi?"

Emily fell silent, her throat was too raw to speak and she wasn't sure there was anything she could reply to Sophia anyway. A sharp pain shot through her chest at the memory of what Naomi had done to her. It hadn't been all her fault though. She was what she was; as much as she tried to fight her desire for human blood she was simply wired to crave it. She was a slave to her nature and Sophia injuring her arm had sent her in to a frenzy that she couldn't have snapped herself out of; and of course it had been Emily that had suffered for it. "Thought so." Sophia smiled smugly as she got to her feet and draped the blankets back over Emily's shaking form. "I've sent Katie a text from your phone. Told her you were having a little sleep over with Naomi. You should be fine come morning." Sophia opened the door again, letting a thin strip of light in to the room that wasn't so bad on Emily's eyes this time. When she closed it behind her and cast Emily back in to darkness she struggled to fight off the panic that was overwhelming her.

She had no idea where she was and was in no state to defend herself. Sophia could do what she wanted; keep her there for however long she wanted. She had made a joke about chains, but what would happen when Emily was strong enough to stand and wanted to leave? Would she resort to tying her up, keeping her prisoner until Emily relented to her? Or would she turn her once she was healthy again and could claim the life she had saved for herself? If she did turn Emily she could still blame it on Naomi and the council would execute her.  
><em><br>Naomi._For all the blonde had almost killed her Emily couldn't find it in her to hate her. She'd fallen hard for her that first night with Cook in the club and despite the differences between them she had been determined to make it work. Could she still be with her after she'd almost killed her? Could she ever trust her enough to sleep by her side again? Or to feed her? She wasn't sure about anything as she lay there in the darkness, only that she had to get away from Sophia and whatever she was planning.

Her hand slowly rose from the bed and despite it feeling like a ton weight she managed to roll over and grope along the bedside table until her fingers struck against something small and round. Her mobile. She tried to clench it in her fist, but her digits still didn't want to comply and the phone slipped free of her grasp and tumbled on to the floor.

She pulled her arm back and lay panting on her back, the effort of moving her arm alone had been enough to exhaust her and the phone had dropped and rolled far from the bed, almost to the other side of the room. The effort to go and retrieve it would probably kill her with how weak her body felt. "Naomi." She whimpered in the darkness, praying that by some miracle the other girl would be close enough to hear.

Naomi paused, her sensitive ears having picked something up. It had been distant, but it was definitely Emily. She'd tracked her scent down to a council estate where most of the houses looked shabby and run down. It was a far cry from the luxurious hotels they had lived in during the fifties. Back then Europe had been recovering from the war, teenagers had started to rise up and defy their parents and dance halls had provided them with easy pickings for food. Back then Naomi, Cook, Sophia and her maker, had lured many a young woman back to whatever posh hotel they had been staying in and drained them dry.

Naomi felt her stomach churning at the thought of feeding. She could still taste Emily on the inside of her cheeks and far from satiating her hunger it had exasperated it. She had tracked Emily the same way she way she had hunted many years ago and she had to try and shake herself out of that mind-set before they closed in on the youngest twin. "We're close." She hoped Katie and Effy couldn't hear the tremor in her voice as she led them further in to the housing estate.

She would fight tooth and nail to save Emily, after all she owed her that much, but she wasn't stupid. Sophia was decades older than her, with her age and her diet of human blood she was a lot stronger than Naomi. Even when Naomi had been at her peek strength feeding on humans Sophia's age had trumped hers and she'd been able to beat her down with ease. There was a reason their ruling council consisted of the oldest vampires. The older a vampire grew the stronger it became with the littlest need for blood.

Naomi wasn't sure how old her own maker was, it was a secret she kept close to her chest, laughing it off every time Naomi asked her about it. She could go weeks on end without feeding though and even Sophia had the good sense to be afraid of her.

When Naomi had first been turned her maker had been the centre of her whole universe, as a fledgling she had needed Gina's constant guidance and support; Sophia had broken that dependency though and despite returning to Gina decades ago there was still a rift between them that had not fully healed. At one time she would not have hesitated to go to Gina for help, but pride and shame kept her from admitting what she had done to Emily. She couldn't face disappointing the older vampire again.

When she finally stopped outside of an ordinary terraced house with an overgrown garden she warily scanned the windows for any sign of movement inside. The house was in darkness and had she not been tracking Emily's scent she would have walked right passed it. She couldn't sense Sophia nearby, though she had been there recently. She approached the house cautiously and the other two girls silently followed her; for once in her life Katie Fitch had the good sense to keep quiet.

Naomi scaled the high gate that led to the back of the house with ease, her muscles felt more powerful than they had in decades. There was a padlock on the inside of the gate and Naomi ripped it off like it was made of paper. The gate swung open to let Katie and Effy in. "There's a window open a crack upstairs. I'll climb through and open the back door."

Vampires couldn't fly or transform themselves in to bats, as some legends suggested, but they were so quick and agile that as Effy and Katie watched it seemed like Naomi had flown up the side of the house. It took two blinks of an eye for Naomi to get to the open window and pull it open wide enough for her to slip inside. The room was dark and stuffy despite the window being open. Naomi's eyes quickly adjusted to the darkness and they homed in on the figure curled up on the floor at the foot of the bed. Emily!

She resisted her urge to rush over to her. She had intended to let Katie in to find her sister, and had stumbled right upon her. She felt uneasy. Sophia had the means and the money to keep Emily locked up somewhere far more secure than a rundown house with laughable security. It all felt too easy, as though Sophia had deliberately lured her. She knew she was probably the last person on the planet Emily wanted to see, but she could hardly just slip back out of the window so she cleared her throat to let Emily know she was there.

The smaller girl looked behind her. Her expression was pained as she craned her neck to look up at Naomi. The blonde sat perched on the windowsill, her hands held up in mock surrender. Emily didn't say a word but she wasn't running and screaming though. Naomi didn't know what to say so she started with the obvious. "I fucked up." Emily nodded. She grimaced as the action pulled at the scar on her neck. "I'm sorry. I lost control, and you have _every _right to hate me and to not want me in your life but-"  
>"Can you just get me out of here please?"<p>

When she finally spoke Emily's voice sounded small and meek. Its usual husky quality had been replaced by a dry rasp. Naomi moved slowly, not wanting to scare her. She slipped her arms under the little redhead and picked her up like she weighed no more than a rag doll. Emily was too exhausted to even wrap her arms around the blonde's neck, so she just let her head flop against her chest.

Getting off the bed had taken all of her strength and left her with a throbbing ache throughout her entire body. For all there was a part of her that was still terrified of the blonde vampire a bigger part of her was just happy to see her. She could barely lift her head but she managed to press her lips to the other girl's cheek. "Ems I'm so sorry-"  
>"Naomi!" They heard a hiss from outside and were reminded that Katie and Effy were still waiting outside. Not wanting to climb out of the window with the fragile human in her arms Naomi tried the door and found it unlocked. She called down to the others and told them to meet her out front.<p>

Even in the dark Naomi could see the rest of the house was bare. The only room with any furniture in had been the one she'd found Emily in. They weren't in Sophia's house at all, it was simply somewhere she had put the human girl for Naomi to find her. She had probably expected her to go for Emily again, or for the young hunter to try and attack Naomi in retaliation.

"Emily!" Katie's eyes widened as Naomi emerged from the house cradling the other girl's twin in her arms. She'd finally succumbed to exhaustion and passed out; her pale limp body giving the false impression of a corpse.  
>"She just passed out. She's still human." Naomi reassured the panicking older twin.<br>"She'd fucking better be!" Katie growled, still fussing over her sister and trying to rouse her.  
>"Katie…" Naomi snapped back at her, but lowered her voice as Emily stirred against her. "Just let her sleep ok?"<p>

By some small miracle Gina and Kieran had gone out for dinner so Naomi didn't need to worry about getting the unconscious Emily past them and up in to her room. She gently laid the smaller girl down on her bed and pulled the covers over her. Katie climbed on to the bed beside her and cuddled in to her sister's side, draping a protective arm around her waist. For all their differences and their bickering the twins were bound together by a bond as strong as the one between a vampire and its maker.

"You two stay here." Naomi made up her mind as she pressed her lips to Emily's forehead and got to her feet.  
>"Where are you going?" Effy asked as Katie's attention was firmly on her sister, she could care less where Naomi went as long as it was far away from her twin. Naomi's own determined gaze was focused on Emily as she answered.<br>"To end this."


	21. Chapter 21

Naomi knew the squalid dump Sophia had left Emily in was not her home. The other vampire was used to the finer things in life and so when the blonde picked up her scent in the nicer part of the city she knew she was on the right track. She found herself on King's road, outside a block of luxury serviced apartments; they were much more her style. The reception desk was manned by a young man in a smart black suit, his tie a perfect Windsor knot and every strand of his gelled back hair was in place. Walking in to the lobby of the apartment block, with its turquoise walls, dark wood floor and plush sofas, was like walking back in time. Sophia had something of a fondness for the twenties and thirties, when art deco had been in its infancy and the world had just been starting to prosper after the Great War.

Naomi flashed the young man behind the desk a dazzling smile as she walked up to the reception desk and placed her hands on the cold marble counter. "Hi, I'm looking for a friend of mine. She lives here but I've forgotten which number is hers. Could you help me out?"  
>"Certainly miss, if you give me the name I'll be happy to phone up and let them know you're here." He replied with a sickeningly sweet smile, the kind he was probably used to forcing every day. Naomi's own smile never faltered as she stared him in the eye. While vampires weren't exactly psychic they had a certain way with humans, a way to portray their power and dominance through their eyes, beating their prey in to submission with a single long hard stare. She read his name off his polished badge.<br>"Listen Charles, this is a little embarrassing, but the woman I'm looking for, Sophia Moore, we haven't spoken in a _long _time and I'd really like to go up and surprise her…please?"

Like a lamb to the slaughter he bowed his head, breaking her gaze. With a few strokes of the keyboard he brought up the details Naomi needed. "She's in four-zero-eight, that's on the fourth floor. I hope your friend enjoys her surprise." The fake smile returned to his lips as he recovered from Naomi's iron stare.  
>"Oh, I'm sure her face will just be a picture."<p>

Bypassing the lift she took the stairs and stealthily made her way up to the fourth floor. For all Emily's blood had increased her strength and agility to levels they hadn't been to in decades, Sophia was still older and quicker. Surprise was the only upper hand she would have. She reached the door that said '408' and was glad to see the locks were the good old fashioned kind that opened with a key, not the fancy electronic type that could only be opened with a key card. She pulled her purse out of her jacket pocket and tested her bank cards and credit cards, looking for the most flexible one. Putting the others away she took the card she had picked and turned her attention to the door. She slid the card in to the vertical crack between the door and the frame, just by the lock and pushed it in as far as it would go. She tilted the card towards the doorknob and pushed it in further. Pushing her shoulder against the door she braced herself before bending the card the other way and popping the door open almost soundlessly.

She was in to the open plan living room in the blink of an eye, fangs out, fists clenched. Sophia stared up at her from the lover's seat she was draped across, a glass of wine in her hand and a smirk on her face. There was another glass of wine on the coffee table in front of her, beside the open bottle. "Hello lover." She purred at the blonde, not in the last bit fazed by her sudden entrance. She had known she was coming. "You look surprised? You forget how old I am Naomi. I'd hear you creeping in from a mile away. Well don't just stand there, either pick up a glass or try your luck at killing me. You might as well do it now while you're still pumped up from Emily…because in a few days times, you're going to be as weak as the humans you love so much."

Naomi did neither; she stood her ground, her hard gaze trained on the older vampire lounging in front of her. "What's all this about Sophia? Your grand plan? What is it? Is this just to get back at McGregor? You can't hurt him so you'll get his family? Or is there something else going on?" She crossed her arms over her chest as she leant against the door frame. Sophia laughed, her eyes sparkling with delight.  
>"Oh Naomi, would you like me to write it all down for you? Maybe draw a diagram or two?" Her smirk widened as she toyed with the younger vampire. "Why would I tell you anything? You're not family anymore."<p>

"I could be." Naomi chose her words carefully as she took a tentative step forward and picked up the wine glass. Her lips curled as she brought it to her lips and realised the thick crimson liquid wasn't wine at all. It was blood. "All Cook's talk of us being a family…I'd be lying if I didn't admit it sounded good. But I've got a good thing here with Gina, immunity from the hunters…I'm not going to piss that all away over a half-cocked plan."

Sophia lost her smirk and eyed the younger vampire warily, trying to decide whether she was being lied to or not. Eventually she sat up on the sofa and indicated that Naomi should take a seat. "Ok, I'll bite. Knowing the plan won't help you stop me anyway." She waited patiently for Naomi to take a seat beside her. "You're right, turning Emily is about hurting her family, but there's more to it. Emily's death will be the catalyst that finally ends this ridiculous truce between our kind and theirs. Her death will spark a war…a war that thanks to you and McGregor, we will win."  
>"How'd you figure that one?" Naomi tried to keep her tone light and inquisitive rather than condemning. Sophia was already suspicious enough of her motives.<p>

She chuckled at the younger woman's naivety. "The Treaty of Brixton didn't just limit our numbers with how many we could turn, it limited theirs too." Sophia's words slowly sunk in. Over half the hunting families had moved out of the country when the treaty started, to places where they could still hunt vampires without fear of reprisal. Out of the half that stayed only a handful were taken on by the Council to take out rogue vampires. The treaty that Naomi had helped to create had thinned out the number of hunters just as much as it had limited the vampires. The only difference being that one vampire was worth five hunters. Sophia was right. If a war started, the humans would lose.

"And turning Emily's going to give you your war is it?" Naomi's hand shot out from by her side in a flash, the stake up her sleeve slipped out and fell in to her waiting hand, landing on Sophia's chest. Sophia's hand moved just as quick, catching Naomi's at the last moment. The tip of the stake was pressed firmly against her heart, but hadn't punctured the skin. Naomi added a second hand to the stake, trying to force it down, but Sophia was stronger and held it back with just one hand. She laughed like they were playing a game. "I'll never let you do it! What we had? Our family? It means nothing now! Not when it comes to Emily!" She growled out, her hands shaking as they struggled against Sophia's grip. The bones of a vampire were much stronger and denser than a human, and they calcified the older a vampire got. Sophia's breast plate covering her heart would be almost solid bone, but with one sharp thrust down the stake would pierce through it and strike Sophia's shrivelled heart. If a vampire couldn't pump the stolen blood around its system to regenerate the cells in its body, they would slowly die.

Ironically as superior as the vampire race was, it was lacking one thing that it needed for its endless regeneration, plasma. Blood plasma carried the oxygenated blood cells around the body, enabling the vampire virus to continually replicate and regenerate around the body, granting the vampire immortality. Without a heart to pump the plasma around the body though a vampire could drain a human dry daily and it wouldn't make a difference, the heart could not heal itself and their bodies would slowly die from the inside out. Staking a vampire in the heart in real life was nothing like in the movies or the myths. They didn't explode or dissolve in to a pile of dust, they simply starved to death. It was long and painful and Naomi wouldn't wish it on her worst enemy, but the only other way to kill Sophia would be to behead her and she wasn't strong enough to take her on that way; Emily meant too much to her to risk. Once Sophia's heart had been pierced it would be much easier to behead her. _If_she could ever get the damn stake in.

"You_ really_ think you can stake _me?" _Sophia growled at her, finally using her second hand to try and push the stake away from her. It lifted a good inch off her chest and Naomi had to throw all of her weight in to trying to push it back down again. Her hands were white from gripping the stake so hard and she could feel the wood starting to splinter and become embedded in the palms of her hand. She could use the inch to her advantage though, the momentum of the stake falling from higher up would ensure it pierced the solid bone protecting the other vampire's heart. "You're a child! A weak, human loving, arrogant, fucking, child! You can't beat me-"

Sophia was abruptly cut off as Naomi somehow managed to summon the strength and the courage to slam the stake down. Her eyes widened in a mixture of fury and fear. Naomi went flying as Sophia's fist slammed in to the side of her head. She landed on the coffee table and went crashing through it, the shards of glass cutting her hands and face. Her body felt limp and exhausted as she lay panting in the razor sharp snow of broken glass. There was a chunk of glass sticking through her thigh. It had just missed her femoral artery. She couldn't afford to lose that much blood. It had taken everything left in her to drive the stake home and the wound wouldn't heal without more blood.

The older vampire slowly got to her feet, blood gushing through her fingers as she clamped her hand around the stake in her chest. "This is why I chose to go looking for Cook, and not you. You've turned soft, that pig swill has putrefied your brain! This war is coming Naomi, and you'd better decide which side you're on!" She clenched her teeth as she wrenched the stake out of her chest. There was a shrill grating sound as the wood scraped against bone, but even as she was pulling the stake out the skin around the wound was trying to heal over it.

Naomi felt what little hope she had left fleeing her aching body. She was healing. The stake hadn't gone in deep enough; it had pierced the bone but not the heart. "I will never let you touch Emily!" She sat up, wincing as the glass tore fresh cuts in her skin. Her words came out as angry growl. "I'll die before I let that happen!"  
>"Oh, no." Sophia shook her head, a sinister smile gracing her lips as she picked out the last splinters from the rapidly healing wound in her chest. "I'll make sure you live just long enough to see Emily turned…and maybe I'll have her rip out her sister's throat, just for the hell of it…and I swear I'll make you watch every last second of it! Now get the hell out of my home before I change my mind and kill you right now!"<p>

Naomi slowly got to her feet, clutching her hand around the chunk of glass in her thigh as she limped towards the door. She tensed as Sophia's hand clamped around her arm. Her fangs grazed her ear as she bent in close to hiss, "What we had? It still means something to me…that's the only reason you're still alive right now!"


	22. Chapter 22

The second Naomi was through her front door she collapsed to the floor and wrenched out the chunk of glass sticking through her thigh. "Fuck." She whimpered, pressing her hands down against the gaping hole the glass had left she tried to stem the blood. The wound would cauterise soon enough, but that didn't stop it from being excruciatingly painful until it healed.  
>"Naomi?"<br>"Stay back." She growled as she clenched her eyes shut and tried to focus on anything but the sound of the other girl's beating heart. Emily's blood should have been enough to sustain her for weeks, but the injury to her thigh had lost her a lot of blood and she was already beginning to feel her thirst rearing its ugly head.  
>"Naomi…"<br>"Just go back upstairs...please Katie."  
>"So you can go upstairs and munch on my sister? I don't think so Campbell."<p>

Katie glared at her as she made her way down the last few stairs and perched down beside the trembling vampire. She offered up her wrist and the blonde's eyes narrowed on it. "Katie, I-" She shook her head, though her dark brooding eyes never left the soft pale flesh of Katie's wrist.  
>"We both know you're hungry, and Emily can't spare anything so…"<br>"Why?" She couldn't understand why the oldest twin was offering to help her. She had made it perfectly clear that she hated the vampire's guts, yet there she was offering herself like a lamb to the slaughter.  
>"For Emily." The oldest twin answered like it should have been obvious. "You mean a lot to her, fuck knows why, but you do. She means <em>everything<em>to me. So if this is what I've got to do to keep her safe, then fuck it. Dinner's ready." She shoved her wrist directly under Naomi's nose and her nostrils flared at the scent of Katie's skin, so close to Emily's, yet so different.

"What the fuck's going on?" Emily snapped as she appeared at the top of the stairs. She wore one of Naomi's oversized bed t-shirts and the sight of her bare legs poking out from under it had Naomi licking her lips. As tempting as Katie's flesh was, it was Emily that really got her appetite going. Emily had been her first taste of human blood in years, and her lust for the youngest twin had conjoined with her hunger, making it almost impossible to separate the two. "What happened to your leg? Katie, did you stab her?" Emily rushed down the stairs to tend to the wounded blonde, but Naomi's growl stopped her in her tracks.  
>"No! Katie's right, I can't take any more from you Ems. I'd kill you... You're sure about this?" She turned her attention back to Katie and watched as the oldest twin bit her lip before slowly nodding her head in response.<p>

Naomi felt her fangs sink in to the offered flesh of Katie's wrist and the younger girl shuddered. "Easy." Emily slipped down beside her and laid hand on the top of her wounded thigh. It was intended as a gentle reminder that she was there, but Naomi knew exactly why Emily had chosen to put her hand there rather than on her shoulder or even take her hand. If she took too much Emily could dig her fingers in to the wound on her thigh and rip her attention away from Katie. Naomi wouldn't need to take much though, just enough to help her heal herself. Katie would barely feel a thing.

She pulled away after less than a minute. Her fangs retracted and she lapped her tongue against the puncture marks to help them clot. A quick inspection of her thigh revealed her wound was completely healed; save for a jagged white keloid scar that would be gone by morning. "Thank you." She gasped, still amazed by Katie helping her, even if it was for Emily's benefit.  
>"Don't mention it. Like ever." Katie sneered at the marks on her wrist and pulled her sleeve down to hide them. "I'm going to bed. Keep your fangs off my sister, yeah?"<p>

"I think she's starting to like you." Emily laughed as she helped the blonde in to the living room and eased her down on to the sofa. Her leg still felt stiff and sore, despite Katie's blood, and it would be morning before it was completely better. Emily lost her smile as her fingers traced the hole in Naomi's trousers. She curled up beside the other girl and laid her head on her chest as she looked up at her with wide eyes. "What happened? I woke up and you were gone."  
>"I went after Sophia. It was stupid, I know." Naomi sighed, she'd been lucky to escape with her life. "I've never really been smart when it came to her…one mistake after another, for nearly a century. You know they say the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results…"<br>"Naomi? What are you saying?" Emily sat up, concern etched on her young face.

The blonde let out a heavy sigh as she cradled her head in her hands. "I keep fighting Emily; I keep trying to do the right thing and to fight what I am, but I just keep making the same mistakes, over and over…I feel like it's only a matter of time before I'm going to kill someone…and I'm terrified it's going to be you."  
>"You couldn't-"<br>"Yes, Emily, I could." Naomi snapped at her. There was a difference between trust and blind faith. Emily needed to understand that. "I've done bad things Emily, _very _bad things. I've killed more times than I can remember, and all of that killing started when Sophia made me drink from a human…and now it's happening all over again. She's trying her fucking best to tempt me back in to my old life, and I'm terrified it's going to work."  
>"It won't." Emily insisted, her voice strong and sure. Naomi shook her head again, exasperated by Emily's childish attitude. She was a monster and the sooner Emily accepted that the safer she would be.<br>"You can't know that Emily-"  
>"Yes I can." Emily snapped, no longer seeming like a child at all. "If you go back to your old life, your old family, you lose Gina; and you lose me. And I don't think you want that Naomi."<br>"No." Naomi sighed as she wrapped her arms around the smaller girl and pressed her lips to her forehead. "I don't want that."

Upstairs, as Katie slipped back in to bed, Effy stirred. Her sleepy eyes slowly opened as she blindly groped for the smaller girl, wrapping an arm around her waist before her head found Katie's shoulder. "Where'd you go?" She mumbled, not used to Katie getting out of bed in the middle of the night. Once the other girl was asleep she was usually dead to the world until morning, she rarely even moved from the position she had fallen asleep in.  
>"Naomi's back." Katie winced as Effy's hand sought out hers and brushed against her wrist. The tiny punctures in her skin were still sore to the touch. Effy sat up, all traces of sleep gone from her face as she examined Katie's wrist.<br>"What happened?" Her voice was cold and detached as Katie covered her wrist back up.  
>"Naomi was hurt. Just forget about it, ok?"<p>

Effy obliged by pressing her lips to Katie's neck. The feather light kisses trailed up her neck and along her jaw until Effy found her lips. "I'm not in the mood Eff." She pulled away and turned over, her back facing the other girl. She heard Effy sigh behind her as she rolled on to her back.  
>"You never are."<br>"Well I'm sorry for having other things on my mind right now!" Katie snapped as she tugged on the duvet, wrapping it around her and pulling it away from Effy. "There's a fucking vampire trying to kill my sister! And another one is shagging her!"  
>"At least someone's getting some." Effy huffed as she pulled the duvet back over her. Katie sat up and scowled at her back.<br>"What is your fucking obsession with having sex? I'm just not ready, ok?" Effy ignored her. She lay silently with her back to her, her silence infuriating Katie more than her words ever could. "Effy! Fucking look at me then!" She pulled on the other girl's arm so she would roll over to face her. When she did she instantly regretted it.

Effy's cheeks were wet with tears and her baby blue eyes were looking pitifully up at the oldest twin. "It's not about sex." She finally broke her silence though her words were said in barely more than a whisper, had Katie not been leaning over she might have missed them. "You're not exactly a virgin Katie, you've slept with guys you barely know, but you barely let me touch you…I love you, and it's like being at the top of a really tall building with one foot hanging over the edge…I don't want to fall Katie."  
>"You talk utter shite you know that?" Katie chuckled softly as she slowly leant in to kiss the other girl. Effy didn't fight her. "You know I love you. I just…this is still new to me, and well, I want my first time with you to be special. Not a quick fuck in Campbell's spare room."<br>"I don't do 'quick'." Effy protested as she pulled Katie down beside her and cuddled in to her again. She kissed Katie's cheek, reassuring her she was going to respect her decision. "But I can wait another day... tomorrow we're staying at mine and I promise you a night to remember." Katie didn't argue with her.

"You have a party and forget to invite me?" Cook laughed as glass crunched under his boots. He took in the scene of destruction that was Sophia's living room and clucked his tongue. "Naomi pay you a visit too then?" He took a seat in the leather recliner opposite the loveseat that Sophia was lounging on with a glass of blood in her hand and a distant expression on her face. She didn't acknowledge his presence in the slightest. Her eyes were glued to something on the wall and when Cook looked up he understood why she was so distracted. The gold framed portrait hanging above the fireplace was a familiar sight for the young vampire. It had been painted by an up and coming artist back in the forties and would probably be worth a pretty penny.

It had been painted a few years after Cook had been turned, when he and his family had been the most revered vampires in all of Europe. Even their own kind had cowered in fear of them, but that had been decades ago, another life time; before Naomi had turned her back on them. The portrait showed the four of them, Cook, Naomi, Sophia and her maker Jonas. Jonas had been in his thirties when he had been turned, a clergyman in the court of King James I, he had been one of the oldest vampires left in Europe by the time the Second World War was coming to an end. In the painting he and Cook stood behind the chaise lounge that Naomi and Sophia were perched on, both wearing tuxedos whilst the two girls wore elegant dresses and sombre smiles.

"I want her back Cook." Sophia finally spoke as she tore her gaze away from the portrait, her dark brooding eyes settled on the younger vampire. "I want the old Naomi back."  
>"You and me both…so what's the plan? Get her to slaughter forty virgins?"<br>"In my experience, it only ever takes one with Naomi. That's why I'm going to make sure she's the one who kills Emily. That way, when she's turned I'll have them both. It shouldn't be too hard; Naomi's already addicted to her blood and she's almost killed her once. Naomi's hanging on the edge, and if anyone can tip her over it's me."  
>"And I still get to turn Effy right?"<br>"After we have Emily." Sophia snapped, knowing the younger vampire was growing impatient to turn the teenager who had caught his eye. Naomi's descendant was just as fiery as the blonde and Sophia was looking forward to her joining their new family.

Sophia had known about Effy long before Cook had met her of course. Though Sophia had been angry with Naomi for abandoning them and siding with the hunters she still made a point of knowing what was going on in the blonde's life and had made sure to know about any avenue she could use to control her; Cook and Effy included. Despite her age Sophia had never turned any fledglings of her own. Naomi was the closest thing she had to a childe and that was the only reason she hadn't killed her earlier. Had any other vampire encroached on her territory, or a human she had claimed, she would have torn them limb from limb to make an example of them; but even though Naomi had tried to stake her she hadn't been able to kill her.

Naomi's compassion for humanity was like a sickness, something Sophia was sure she could cure her of. She'd only started to feel guilty about their lifestyle when Gina had come back in to her life in the eighties, with her ridiculous ideas about abstaining from human blood. Gina was Naomi's maker though and she would always have influence over her while she was alive. Sophia had considered killing her many times over the years, when she'd first lost her lover to the woman's foolish notions, but Gina was far older than Sophia herself. It was rumoured that she was even older than Marcus the leader of the High Council, and a vampire who had been turned when the Romans were conquering Britannia. Even on her diet of pigswill Gina would be a hard woman to kill. Stealing Naomi back from her would have to do.


	23. Chapter 23

"You're sure you're ok with this?" Naomi asked for the umpteenth time that morning. Emily rolled her eyes at her, even though she knew the blonde was just looking out for her she was sick of answering the same question. She was far from ok with everything that was going on. She had been attacked by more vampires in the space of a few days than she had been in the entire time she had been training to be a Hunter. She'd fallen hard for one of those vampires and was constantly being reminded of just how close Naomi was to the edge of her humanity. She was tired and drained and possibly verging on becoming anaemic with how much blood she had lost. Things were not ok, but she still forced a smile on to her lips as she pressed them against Naomi's cheek.  
>"For the last time, I'm ok."<p>

"Don't worry Ems." Katie piped up from the other side of her. "That bitch won't try anything…" She trailed off as the classroom door opened and Cook walked in looking as cocksure as ever as he took a seat beside JJ and Freddie, like nothing had happened. Naomi clenched her teeth, trying to stop herself from growling at the younger vampire. She'd made it clear for him to stay away from Emily, but he'd blatantly disregarded her order. He was clearly trusting Sophia to protect him from Naomi's wrath; either that or he underestimated just how much power Naomi still had in her, even on her diet of pigs blood.

"What the fuck are you doing here?" Katie glared at him, forgetting where they were. It wasn't in anybody's interest for ordinary humans to find out about vampires and hunters. The treaty back in the nineties had settled that. The last time vampires had been revealed to ordinary humans had resulted in a national inquisition that history had recorded as the witch trials of the seventeenth century. It hadn't just been vampires that had been killed though; many hunting families had been killed off too. After the two world wars and the Treaty of Brixton there were less than a handful of hunting families left in England and vampire numbers weren't faring well either.

In the age of video-phones and _YouTube _Naomi was afraid of the kind of publicity that would result from a class full of teenagers watching a showdown between a vampire and a hunter. "Katie, leave it, yeah?" Emily was obviously thinking the same thing.  
>"What's up with her?" Freddie nodded his head towards Katie's back as she turned it on Cook and sat whispering to Emily. Cook shrugged his broad shoulders and smirked.<br>"No idea mate, you know what that one's like…how you doing Red? You're looking a bit pale." He leered at Emily, deliberately goading both of the twins.

The youngest one rose above it, shooting Cook a forced smile that to anyone else would have appeared almost sincere. "Never better Cookie. Thanks for asking." She felt Naomi squeezing her hand under the table. It was meant to reassure her, but it was hard to feel reassured when the Hunter in her was reminded she was surrounded by vampires on both sides. Since he couldn't get a rise out of Emily he turned his attention to Effy.  
>"Hey Ef, I'm hitting a club tonight. How about it, me and you babes?"<br>"Drop dead Cook."  
>"Done it sweetheart."<p>

"Cook, how about you fuck off and stop perving on my girlfriend, yeah?" Katie snapped at him, getting tired of his games.  
>"Girlfriend?" He scoffed, though Naomi could see the anger in his eyes. She knew Cook all too well and didn't miss the jealousy he tried to hide by mocking them. Effy looked surprised by Katie's outburst herself.<br>"Did I fucking stutter? Yes, girlfriend. As in something you'll never have saddo-"  
>"Cook." Naomi was glad she still had some influence over her childe as he stood up so fast his chair slammed to the floor. Naomi's strained voice held him in place as he balled his fists at his side, sneering at Katie.<br>"Chill man." Freddie tried to put a hand on Cook's arm but he wrenched it away, his gaze still on the oldest twin. A chilling smirk spread over his lips.  
>"You'll get yours little girl. That's a fucking promise."<p>

He stalked off, slamming in to Kieran on the way out the door. The Irishman muttered something under his breath as he took a seat at his desk and cast a weary glance at Naomi. With a slight shake of her head she told him things were fine. The others were too busy quizzing Katie and Effy on their newly revealed relationship to worry much about Cook. Except for Emily who's hand was in the pocket of her hoodie, clenching her knife. Naomi squeezed her hand again as her lips brushed against Emily's cheek. "He won't touch her." She'd said the same about Sophia not touching Emily, but the redhead decided not to bring it up. Between Cook threatening her twin and facing a morning of English with Sophia she had too much on her mind to be starting an argument with Naomi. She'd decided her parents needed to know what was going on with Sophia and Naomi, which meant telling Jenna Fitch that her youngest daughter was dating a vampire. Emily was almost willing to take her chances with Sophia instead. She hadn't brought the subject up with Naomi yet, but she couldn't see the vampire being overly keen on it. Katie had offered to tell their parents about Effy too, which could maybe take the heat off Emily and Naomi a little bit, but not by much.

When the bell for first period went off Emily begrudgingly slung her bag over her shoulder and waited for JJ and Panda to gather their stuff before they headed for the English class upstairs. Naomi took her hand to walk her to class, despite her own classroom being on the other side of the college. She walked her to the door and kissed her, muttering a warning for Emily to keep her guard up so JJ and Panda wouldn't overhear. When she pulled away Emily kept hold of her hand. "Do you remember your first day of college? When I showed you around? Seems like a lifetime ago now." It had only been a few short weeks since they had met, and yet in that time Emily's entire world had gone to shit. The blonde vampire standing in front of her was partly to blame for that, but she was also her salvation, a lifeline in the sea of madness she had found herself surrounded by.

"Would you have offered me the guided tour if you'd known about me?" Naomi asked quietly, she wasn't stupid. She knew that for all Emily was insisting everything was fine between them it really wasn't. It had only been a day ago that she had almost killed her. She wouldn't blame Emily for trying to get some distance from her. The little redhead surprised her though with a small smile and a peck to the cheek.  
>"The second I saw you with Cook, the only thought in my head was, 'I've got to know that girl'. I was a gonner before I even knew your name….Maybe it was fate. Maybe I didn't have a choice."<br>"I'll always give you a choice Emily." Naomi leant in for another kiss but was interrupted by Sophia's sharp tone.

"Miss Fitch, when you're ready, the class would like to begin."  
>"Give me a fucking stake." Emily rolled her eyes as she pressed her lips to Naomi's, not denying her the kiss she wanted, regardless of Sophia or anyone else.<br>"I'll meet you at lunch." Naomi smirked as she pulled away and waved at the scowling Sophia. Emily took her seat between JJ and Panda, making herself comfortable for the morning.

She had double English and two free periods before lunch. Naomi had classes all morning and JJ and Panda both had to shoot off to their next classes, so when Emily's lesson finished she was facing two hours of hanging around the college herself. That was until Sophia stopped her leaving again. She rolled her eyes at her as she hefted her bag on to her shoulder. "Really? We're doing this again after last time?"  
>"You mean after your girlfriend almost killed you?" Sophia replied smugly. "You look pale Emily, you should join me for an early lunch."<br>"Let me guess, I'm the main course?"  
>"Of course not…you can be dessert if you want to?" She leered at the younger woman and Emily was really glad she wasn't wearing a skirt or a low cut top like Katie. She felt like she needed to shower in holy water just from the way Sophia was staring at her, like she was drinking her in; stealing her soul by proximity.<br>"I don't have dessert with lunch."

Sophia chuckled at her as she locked her classroom door behind them. "Please Emily, I've seen you eat, and I practically hear your stomach growling from here-"  
>"That's probably Naomi. She must know you're trying to talk to me!" Emily snapped over her shoulder as she tried to walk away from her. Sophia's fingers laced around her wrist, holding her in place as she slid up behind her, her body flush against Emily's.<br>"Do you still think she's going to save you Emily? Do you still think you have a choice in _any _of this? I'll make this clear, come to lunch with me or else."  
>"Or else what?" If having a bitchy older twin sister had taught Emily anything it was the importance of having the last word.<br>"Or else I'll go kill a puppy…what the fuck do you think Emily?" Her grip became painfully tight on the younger girl's arm as she hissed in her ear. "I'll invite Katie to lunch with me, I'll rip her pretty little throat open and drink her dry."  
>"When you put it like that."<p>

They ended up at a café not far from the college and though Sophia had said it was an early lunch she only had a strong black coffee while Emily picked at a sandwich. "I've got to admit; I had ulterior motives to inviting you to lunch."  
>"Really!" Emily feigned shock, forcing her big brown eyes wide and holding a hand to her open mouth. Sophia smiled, indulging her insolence. That was part of what had drawn her back to Emily over the years. She had watched the younger twin grow, constantly fighting to be out from under her sister's shadow. She was a fighter, and she would make the game Sophia was playing so much more interesting than her twin would. Katie could barely wield a knife; Emily was more than competent and even Sophia had to admit she would stand at least a slither of a chance against her.<p>

Her expression turned serious as she sat her coffee cup down and stared directly at the smaller girl.  
>"I'm giving you one last chance Emily, to agree to be turned. I want you and I want Naomi, and quite frankly I'm growing impatient."<br>"That's a shame, because Naomi's mine and I don't like sharing." Emily glared at her, more angry at the other girl's interest in Naomi than the request to turn her.

Sophia shook her head and once again smiled at the younger girl as though she was simple. "You humans and your petty jealousy and labels. Girlfriend, wife, mistress…live as long as I have Emily and you realise none of it matters. I've shared Naomi before, though admittedly not with a human and she's never loved another…but seeing her again has opened my eyes. The three of us together…" Sophia's gaze raked over Emily again and she shuddered. She toyed with the silver knife in her pocket like she was clutching a security blanket. She held her head high and made sure her voice was firm, though the rapidly beating heart in her chest would betray her fear.  
>"Never going to happen."<br>"Shame. Don't say I didn't warn you, when the people you love start getting hurt." Sophia sighed, her smile was still in place but a feral anger shone through in her eyes. The true monster inside looking out. "Remember I gave you a chance Emily."

The youngest Fitch said nothing as she stood up to leave and held her nerve all of the way out of the café and up to the end of the road before her legs gave way. She slumped to the curb, her entire body shaking. It was one thing to hunt vampires; it was something entirely different to be hunted by one. Especially one as old and powerful as Sophia. Emily had no illusions; she knew Sophia could snap her neck in a heartbeat. If the law under the treaty didn't require Emily to be _willingly _turned then Sophia would have drained her dry that first day in the gym.

She sat by the side of the road, composing herself before heading back to the college. She went straight to the common room and found Katie and Effy curled up on one of the lime green sofas. Emily walked straight over and took a seat on the edge of the sofa before throwing her arms around her twin in a crushing hug. "What the fuck are you doing you crazy bitch?"  
>"I need a favour. We need to tell mum and dad what's going on. Sophia's getting fucking serious, so that means they've got to meet Naomi…and I figured since you and Effy are all out and proud now-"<br>"Like fuck am I telling mum and dad tonight!" Katie objected, instantly pushing her younger twin away from her. "We've got plans!" She shot a pointed look in Effy's direction and Emily didn't want to know any more.  
>"Come on Katie! Just a couple of hours! Mum's going to fucking murder me!"<br>"Then stop fucking vampires!"

"My ears are burning." Emily jumped as Naomi's arm wrapped around her waist and her lips found her way to her cheek.  
>"Hey." The smaller girl relaxed, letting Naomi's strong arms hold her up. She turned her head to catch the blonde's lips. "We were just talking about dinner, at our house, tonight." Naomi's expression mirrored Katie's as she rested her chin on Emily's shoulder.<br>"Should I bring my own stake, or will one be provided?"  
>"Mine's always sharp." Katie offered, earning a pinch from Effy. "And I didn't say we were coming!"<br>"We'll come." Effy supplied helpfully as she lay with her legs over Katie, her nose buried in a glossy fashion magazine. Katie begrudgingly agreed to dinner. Emily was sure that Effy could talk her twin in to or out of anything.

The rest of the day Emily had lessons with Naomi, and she felt far safer with her by her side, Sophia's words were still ringing in her ears. She thought of the twisted vampire getting hold of her little brother or Katie, of her trying to use the two Fitches least able to protect themselves. If Sophia was going to start upping her game then Emily needed her parents on her side.

After classes the four of them dragged their feet towards Effy's car, none of them were particularly looking forward to dinner with the Fitch family. Emily was surprised when she led the others in to the living room and found her dad lounging on the sofa. He sat up as he noticed the twins and their friends. "Oh, hello girls. Your mum's working late, so it's pizza tonight…" He trailed off as Naomi walked through the door and stood up to his full intimidating height. Unlike his daughters he didn't need to test with silver to know when he was standing in front of a vampire. "You must be Naomi. I've heard a lot about you." He held out his hand for the blonde to shake.  
>"Mr Fitch." She shook his hand firmly, glad to hear she wouldn't be meeting Emily's mother any time soon.<p>

"Dad, we've got something to tell you." Emily took Naomi's hand as she prepared to tell her father everything that had happened, but then for some reason she paused. Her father was a fair man, but if he found out that Naomi had almost drank her dry he wouldn't be so tolerant. He already knew about Sophia and her connection to their family, and no doubt Jenna and Samuel had told him about Naomi's sordid past.

"What is it love?" Rob looked from his daughter to the vampire holding her hand. His expression softened. "Emily, we already know about you two, and I can't say your mum's happy about it, but Naomi's living by the treaty, and she's protecting you. We can't argue with that…there is one thing though." He turned his attention to Naomi and despite being over a century older than him Naomi felt like a child being scrutinized. "I want your word you'll protect _both_ of my daughters."  
>"Of course." Naomi replied needing to think it over. She would do anything for Emily and as much as she and Katie didn't get on she knew how much Emily's sister meant to her. Katie had also freely offered up her blood to help her the night before and she would not forget that in a hurry, regardless of what her motives had been.<br>"That's settled then. I'll order us some dinner!"

"Actually dad, I'm going to Effy's tonight. We were just dropping Ems and Naomi off." Katie took her chance to escape and dragged Effy back towards the front door before Emily could object. She'd chickened out of telling her parents that Effy was her girlfriend.  
>"Actually we're going to Naomi's. I just wanted Naomi to meet you guys, but mum's not here, so we'll do it another time." Rob shrugged and flopped back down on the sofa as his daughters made a hasty retreat from the house. Both girls were grateful their mother was out. Jenna Fitch was a formidable woman, especially when it came to her daughters.<p>

Effy drove to Naomi's and dropped her and Emily off. Naomi invited the other two girls in, but they were clearly in a hurry to get to their 'plans'. "Don't do anything I wouldn't do!" Emily teased as Effy pulled away from the curb and Katie flipped her off in return.  
>"Well that narrows it down." Emily jumped, her hand reaching for her knife as Sophia appeared out of nowhere beside them. A growl ripped its way out of Naomi's throat. Sophia was in her territory and the blonde didn't take kindly to being threatened in her own front garden. "There's no need for that Naomi. I just came by to give you this." She tossed a yellow cardigan at the blonde who caught it with one hand and held it up on one finger, regarding it like it were a bomb. It was too big to be Emily's and it wasn't something Sophia would wear herself. The scent was unfamiliar too.<p>

"Not really my colour." She snarled back, putting herself between her ex-lover and Emily. Emily had told her about her little lunch date with Sophia, and the blonde wasn't about to take any chances. Sophia chuckled as she watched Naomi trying to shield the little redhead when they all knew that she could easily go through her and get to Emily. She could have done so, just for the purpose of theatrics, but she was playing a different game, one far more likely to get the attention of both the vampire and the hunter.

"I thought you'd like to know I'm going hunting tonight. That belongs to the girl I intend to feed on; and kill." She nodded towards the cardigan which Naomi suddenly clamped down on, to protect it in case Sophia decided to snatch it back. The owner's scent would be the only way to track her down in order to save her life. The older vampire chuckled, knowing Naomi knew what game she was trying to play, but would have no idea as to how it would benefit Sophia. The human loving vampire would track the girl. To make sure of it she goaded her some more, knowing Emily would insist on helping her and they would both be too distracted to see where the real danger lay; just as Sophia wanted. They would play right in to her hands without even realising it. "You have until midnight to find her first."


	24. Chapter 24

"I recognise the scent." Naomi frowned as she again sniffed at the cardigan Sophia had left, trying to place the scent. It was definitely someone from the college, but other than knowing it was a young woman Naomi had nothing else to go on. She glanced warily at the clock, they had just over four hours until midnight; four hours for Naomi to pick out a single human girl in the sea of bodies that littered the streets of Bristol on a Friday night. She was well aware Sophia was playing her usual games, and Naomi was reluctant to indulge the older vampire by going chasing after the owner of the cardigan, but she couldn't risk a human life by doing nothing; but that didn't mean she had to risk Emily's. "I'll scout around the city and try to pick up the scent. Stay here and I'll call you if I find anything-" She tried to make her way towards the front door, but Emily blocked her path.

"I'm not staying here! I can help! We'll cover more ground on my moped anyway." There was a fierce determination in the smaller girl's eyes as she pulled on her jacket and checked her knife was still inside. In all honesty Emily would only slow the vampire down, but she didn't want her running around chasing after Sophia by herself. It would probably be safer to keep the little Hunter where she could see her, so she followed Emily out to her moped. They drove to the city centre, where Naomi hoped she'd be able to pick up the scent of Sophia's intended victim.

The streets were full of drunken revellers and late night shoppers though and their combined scents and perfumes mingled together, confusing even Naomi's sensitive sense of smell. Emily had identified the perfume on the garment as quite an expensive scent, one that Effy had apparently bought for Katie last Christmas and was special enough for the oldest twin to save for nights out, but it seemed half of Bristol were wearing the same perfume as Naomi tried to pick up on a trail. Sophia had clearly planned on the sheer amount of people out on the streets to overwhelm Naomi's senses and they were running out of time. She brought the cardigan up to her nose again and took a deep breath. She recognised the scent but just couldn't put it to a face and it was infuriating her.

Back in her time she had been an excellent hunter, her tracking skills had been far better than even Sophia who had decades on her, and it pissed her off to know the older vampire was toying with her. She glared at the slip of clothing in her hands and something in her mind clocked. Her fists clenched as she realised she knew exactly who the cardigan belonged to; and who Sophia intended to kill.

* * *

><p>"You really can't cook babes." Katie laughed as she pushed clumps of undercooked pasta around<br>in the sloppy sauce on her plate. Effy pulled a face but wasn't going to argue. Her plans for a romantic meal hadn't quite worked out how had she had expected. With Effy's mum away for week the pair of them sat in Effy's kitchen, with the lights off and candles softly flickering on the table in front of them beside their half empty wine glasses. The bottle of wine had been an expensive one liberated from her mother's stash and had gone down a lot better than the meal Effy had prepared from scratch. "I'll go get us a take away." Katie rolled her eyes at her as Effy stabbed at a chunk of congealed pasta and sent it flying across the kitchen. "You clean up, I won't be long."  
>"I'll come with you." Effy offered, following the smaller girl to the door as she pulled on her coat. It was already dark outside and Effy wasn't keen on letting the smaller girl go out alone; since discovering vampires were real Effy had become far more cautious about venturing out at night. Effy didn't see a hunter when she looked at Katie, even though she had practically been training to kill vampires since she took her first steps. All Effy saw was someone she loved and needed to protect.<p>

"Don't be silly. It's just down the road, I'll be ten minutes." Katie reached up kiss Effy and pulled back with a coy smile. "I'll get us another bottle of wine, and after dinner we can have an early night. How does that sound?" Effy returned the smile as she cupped the smaller girl's chin in her hand and titled her head back to claim another kiss.  
>"Perfect." She wasn't talking about their plans for the evening. Katie's cheeks went red as she blushed and pulled away from her girlfriend. "How about I run you a bath for when you. I'll even scrub your back." She winked at her.<br>"Perfect." Katie repeated with a grin. "I won't be long…Love you."

It was cold when she stepped outside and she pulled the zip of her coat right up, wishing she'd had the sense to put a jumper or something on first. The takeaway was just at the end of Effy's road though so she wouldn't be out in the cold for long. She hurried down the road, cautiously taking in every shadow as her fingers wrapped around the knife tucked in to her pocket. For all she wasn't keen on following in her family's footsteps and becoming a Hunter, she had never forgotten a single lesson her dad had taught her. With everything that had been going on with Sophia she was even more on guard than usual as she ducked in to the takeaway.

The old man behind the counter smiled at her as she closed the door. Katie spent more time at Effy's house than her own and they often ended up ordering out for dinner. "Usual?" He chuckled as Katie dug in to her purse and handed her money straight over.  
>"Yeah, thanks. I'll be back in five to pick it up." She headed straight back out the door to go get the wine from the off-licence a few doors down. She was eager to get straight back to Effy. She'd finally worked up the nerve to sleep with her after months of deliberation. She had fancied Effy since the first day of college, but she had struggled to deal with the reality of <em>actually <em>being with another girl. Effy had been patient with her of course, but Katie knew she was growing restless and despite the disaster of her cooking she had gone to a lot of trouble to put Katie at ease with the candles and the wine and the promise of a nice hot bath when she returned.

Katie was glowing with the thought of getting back to Effy when she stepped out of the off-license with a couple of bottles of wine in a plastic bag. The bag slipped from her hands and the bottles smashed at her feet as her fingers scrambled for the knife in her pocket. She pulled it out and held it in front of her as she glared at the vampire standing only feet away from her, looking her up and down with a hungry smile. As the creature took a step towards her Katie knew she had little chance of taking the vampire on, Emily had tried and almost been killed. Her only hope was to run.

* * *

><p>"I know who it is!" Naomi's head snapped up as she picked up the familiar scent in the air. It was easier for her to track someone when she knew exactly who she was looking for and her eyes narrowed as she blocked out all other distractions; including Naomi. She moved swiftly through the crowded streets, with Emily struggling to keep up with her. Her mind was completely on the task as she closed in on the scent from the cardigan; on the girl Sophia would also be tracking. She was going to win, she was going to find her first, she was going to…<br>"Naomi! Stop!" Emily snapped at her and she stopped in her tracks. Her eyes were dilated and a crystal clear blue. She had slipped in to her natural hunting mode and covered a lot more ground than she had realised. They were right outside the pub where the girl Sophia had decided to target sat inside with her friends. She was in a couple of Naomi's classes and had been wearing the cardigan earlier that day; Naomi had been too hung up on tracking the scent to realise why she recognised it in the first place.

She felt her heart pounding in her chest, flooding her body with adrenaline. They were so close! The girl was right inside and Emily was just standing there looking at her like she was doing something wrong. They had less than two hours before Sophia would attack and the smaller girl was dragging her feet. "What?" She snapped, her voice bursting with irritation as Emily continued to glare at her.  
>"What the hell are you doing?"<br>"I'm tracking down the girl-"  
>"No! You're not!" Emily's own voice sounded tight and angry. "You're hunting! I can see it all over your face Naomi, you're enjoying this. You're here to help this girl, not to kill her first!"<br>"I…I know why we're here. I'm not hunting…Ems…" She took a step forward, trying to reassure Emily that she was still in control, but the redhead stepped back. She was still staring at Naomi like she had grown a second head.  
>"Try saying that when you don't have a hard on." She snarled at the blonde vampire. Naomi's eyes widened in horror as she realised her fangs were out.<br>"Ems, I'm sorry. I-"

"Go home Naomi, before you kill someone." Emily's words were not said harshly, but rather more with concern as she took the blonde's hand in her own and squeezed it tightly. She wouldn't risk kissing her while her fangs were popping out of their own accord, so she pressed her lips to the other girl's cheek. "Sophia won't kill me, she needs me alive. So just tell me who she's after and I'll make sure she doesn't get near them."  
>"And who's going to protect you?" Naomi sighed. She hated how easily her hunger ruled her life and that while abstaining from human blood not only left her too weak to protect Emily but also endangered her life. She had given up human blood all together to please Gina, but it had never been her personal choice. While she was against hunting and killing humans she was beginning to think that everyone would be a lot safer if she started drinking from human beings again. She would be strong enough to take on Sophia and wouldn't be constantly starving and fighting her growing need for Emily's blood.<p>

She didn't want to leave Emily with the girl who Sophia intended to kill, and in all honesty she would let Sophia take the girl if it meant keeping Emily safe; even if it was only for one more night. "It's Mandy." The blonde informed her with a barely concealed growl. "She's inside…I can wait out here, keep watch for-"  
>"No." Emily cautiously pressed her lips against Naomi's, not wanting to press down too hard in case her fangs were still out under her clenched lips. "Can't you see this is how Sophia wants you? I mean Mandy, of all people? I think she wanted you to hunt her, to kill her…she probably won't even show up. So go home and I'll call you when I'm on my way over." Naomi nodded and reluctantly let go of the smaller girl.<br>"Stay safe."

It wasn't just Sophia the vampire had to worry about as Emily made her way inside the pub and took a seat beside Mandy at the table she was sitting at with her friends. "Hey." She forced a smile as Mandy stared at her like she was a stranger. Emily wished they were, but she and Mandy had had something of a complex relationship off and on since Emily had first came out years earlier.  
>"Where's your pet tonight?"<br>"Somewhere else, clearly." Emily tried to keep a civil tongue, but the last time she and Mandy had fought and broken up there had been more than words exchanged. She leant in close to the other girl, keeping her tone low as she whispered in her ear. "Lose your friends, we need to talk." 

* * *

><p>When Katie Fitch had first started running for her life she had instinctively ran up the street, towards the safety of Effy's house. It had only been as she'd caught sight of Effy's front door that she'd realised she was leading a vicious killer right to one of the people she loved most in the world. Ignoring the ache in her chest and the tightening cramps in her legs she carried on running right past Effy's, praying it would be enough to keep her safe even as she felt her attacker closer in on her. She had lost her heels outside the off-license and every stone and bump in the ground bit in to the soles of her feet. She was sure they had started bleeding and the vampire behind her could smell it; but there was nothing Katie could do as she ran towards the small park a few streets over from Effy's house. She knew the vampire was toying with her, prolonging her torment. Katie had no chance of outrunning a vampire. The only choice she had left was where she would make her last feeble stand, and it would be as far from Effy as she could manage. If she was going to die then she was going to make sure her girlfriend was safe and that it wouldn't be Effy who found her body.<p>

As she stumbled over her feet and fell to the ground in the middle of the play park she knew she would die there. The chips of bark on the ground dug in to her hands and knees, scrapping her all over and sending fresh blood welling to the surface. She rolled on to her back with as much grace as a baby elephant, her heart pounding in her chest and held her knife up in a shaking hand. She would probably do little damage with it, but she'd be damned if Katie _Fucking_Fitch was going down without a fight. Given half a chance she would carve her name in the bastard's face just to let her dad know who had killed one of his precious baby girls.

The vampire paused as it stood over her and cocked its head to the side. He was an imposing giant looming over the trembling girl. "You're the wrong girl." He sniffed at the air, his massive chest expanding with the action. "Sisters…close enough. Poetic really, since you're sister's the reason my _brother_ is dead!"  
>"Good." Katie clenched the knife as tightly as she could. "You'll be joining him soon!"<br>James Rosenberg barked with laughter at the tiny girl cowering before him. He knew the reputation of the Fitch hunters, but he had to give the girl her dues, even as she was staring death in the face she was determined to get the last word.  
>"With that itty-bitty silver knife? I don't think so!" The vampire lunged down on her in the blink of an eye and the shrill screams of Katie Fitch pierced the silent night. <p>

* * *

><p>"Emily? What's wrong?" Mandy touched the redhead's arm and she almost jumped out of her skin. She'd fallen silent and hadn't heard a word the other girl had been saying; though she could guess what it was about. All Mandy ever talked about was the two of them getting back together. An hour earlier Emily had been gripped by a moment of sheer terror that had nothing to do with sitting alone in a dimly lit bar with her ex-girlfriend. She couldn't explain it, but for some reason she had been overcome with all-consuming sadness and fear and it was still lingering around her. Something was wrong; she just couldn't put her finger on what it was.<br>"I'm fine." She lied, because the last thing she wanted was the other girl thinking she was part of her life again. "I told you, you're the one with the problem. Sophia's coming after you-"

"Oh yes, another vampire that I'm going to have to fight for your attention." Mandy rolled her eyes and smirked as she picked up her wine. Emily had warned her all about what was going on with Sophia and Cook, but the pig-headed girl had paid no attention to her, choosing instead to try and chat her up.  
>"Can you at least promise me you'll tell your dad?" Mandy's family came from a long line of hunters too and her father was just as overprotective as rob Fitch. The two girls had once been close friends, before hormones kicked in and breasts sprouted and Mandy became more interested in fucking Emily than listening to her.<br>"You still care then?" It was a cheap shot and had her childhood friend's life not been in danger Emily would have slapped her and walked out. As it was she rolled her eyes at her and took a sip of her beer, trying to dislodge the unsettled feeling she had in the pit of her stomach. It was almost midnight so she put it down to Sophia's impending arrival.

"You know I care. Just not like that. Not anymore."  
>"Why?" Mandy was pouting as she put her hand on the smaller girl's knee. Emily pulled away from her and picked up her beer again, downing it so she had something to keep her hands occupied, stopping her from pulling her knife out. As it turned out she didn't need to.<br>"Because she's spoken for." Emily flinched as she felt a firm grip on her shoulder. "Naomi can be a very jealous lover. She's childish like that." Sophia slipped in to the booth beside the redhead, keeping an arm around Emily's shoulders as she stared Mandy down. The other hunter glared at the vampire in much the same way Katie would glare at someone who suggested she wear a potato sack over her head.

Emily felt the pang of sadness deep within her again and she swiped the drink Sophia had brought over with her, downing that as well. Everything with Naomi, Sophia and even Mandy was just getting too much for her. As much as she knew it was a bad idea to numb her pain with alcohol when she was stuck between a dangerous vampire and her psychotic ex, she needed something to take the edge off. She pulled a face at whatever she had just drank. "It's a martini sweetheart." Sophia informed her like Mandy wasn't sitting on her other side, glaring at the vampire. "Where is Naomi anyway? I'm _shocked_ she didn't come running to help sweet Mandy here."  
>"You mean you're shocked she didn't kill her? That was your plan wasn't it." Emily challenged. "Send her out hunting, get her in the mood-"<br>"I thought she had you for that?" Sophia shot back and Mandy actually cleared her throat to remind them she was there. Emily ignored her; a smirk spread over her lips as she realised Sophia was jealous.

"She does, and I'm _very_ good at it. Excuse me." She stood up and climbed over Sophia to leave. The older vampire clamped a hand around her wrist.  
>"You're just going to leave me here? What if I get peckish?" She finally cast a look Sophia's way, but Emily wasn't stupid.<br>"I only waited to tell you you're little plan didn't work out. I knew you had no intention of hurting her. She's a hunter's daughter too; if you were going to kill her then you would just kill me instead of waiting for me to say yes to you." She yanked her arm back and Sophia let her go. She just sat back with a smirk on her lips.  
>"So you <em>are<em>going to say yes to me then? I'll be waiting Emily."

The youngest Fitch twin would rather draw her last dying breath then say yes to anything Sophia asked of her. As she got out of the crowded pub she pulled out her phone to let Naomi know she was on her way and noticed she had a ton of missed calls from Effy. She checked the voice mail she had left and she felt her blood run cold as she listened; suddenly the anxiety and the fear she had felt made sense.

"Ems, can you pick up please? Katie's gone missing. She left to go to pick up dinner like three hours ago and she hasn't come back and she's not picking up her phone…and I don't know if she just got scared and went home or something…we were supposed to…well you know what we were supposed to be doing…can you just call me back and let me know if she's at home? Please? I'm going out of my fucking mind here..."


	25. Chapter 25

"Effy? What the hell's going on? Where's Katie?" Emily was panicking by the time she finally got through to Effy. The other girl's phone had just been ringing and ringing for ten minutes solid with no answer. Emily had been close to going back in to the club and asking Sophia for help in finding her twin, regardless of what the consequences would be.  
>"I've found her." Effy replied with a heavy sigh, her voice sounded strained. She'd probably been going out of her mind just as Emily had. "I went out looking for her and when I got back she'd let herself in. She's asleep in my bed. Guess she just freaked out after all, I'm sorry for worrying you Ems."<p>

"Thank god." With everything that had been going on she had feared the worst. For a minute she had thought that maybe Sophia's little game hadn't been to bait Naomi in to hunting after all, but to distract them so she could take Katie. If one thing would make Emily give in to Sophia it would be the threat of losing her sister. As much as they fought Katie was still her twin and she would do _anything _to protect her. When they were younger their mother had told them that being a twin meant that at one time they had been the same person, one special baby living inside of her belly that split in to two amazing little girls who shared the same soul. It was corny and the girls had stopped believing in it years ago, but something about sharing a soul still rang true to them. Emily couldn't imagine living with only half a soul. "Kick her arse for me for scaring us will you?" She smiled as Effy chuckled on the other end of the phone.

"I will in the morning. She's out like a light…I'm going to join her, 'night Ems." Effy hung up and shook her head at the sleeping figure lying in her bed. She had really though she and Katie were getting somewhere, that the other girl was ready take things further, but she'd obviously been wrong. Peeling off her clothes in to a pile on the floor she pulled on a clean t-shirt for bed and slipped in beside the sleeping Katie. She frowned as she wrapped her arms around the smaller girl; she was ice cold. Climbing back out of bed she pulled an extra blanket out of the wardrobe and draped it over the pair of them before she cuddled back in to her; she didn't feel the sticky blood on her neck or the crimson stains down the front of her shirt.

Over the other side of the city Emily called a taxi to take her back to Naomi's. She'd started to feel light headed since she'd nearly had a panic attack over Katie going missing and the alcohol in her system didn't help. She felt exhausted as Naomi opened the door for her, the blonde's eyes were dark and brooding and Emily felt like walking back out of the door. She didn't have the energy for another argument and as much as she cared for Naomi that seemed to be all they had been doing since Sophia had turned up. Emily wasn't sure whether what they had was worth the hassle. "I'm sorry." Naomi apologised as she wrapped her arms around the smaller girl and softly kissed her. "You were right, I was losing it. I just feel like Sophia's running circles around us right now. Around me…"  
>"Naomi." Emily cupped her cheek as the guilt in the other girl's eyes shone through, but Naomi cut her off with another kiss.<br>" I need to be stronger Ems. I need to be able to protect you… soI'm going to start feeding on humans again, willing ones though, I'm not hunting."

"You don't have to do this for me-"  
>"I'm not. This is for me too Ems. I wanted to stop killing humans, not to stop feeding from them. I stopped for Gina, but I've spent the last thirty years fighting who I am; what I am. If I keep fighting this Ems, then I'm going to end up snapping and killing someone and it will probably be you. I couldn't live with myself if that happened." Emily could understand her reasoning, by denying herself human blood all together Naomi was more dangerous than even Sophia. One momentary slip of control and she could easily kill someone; whereas vampires likes Cook and Sam, who indulged in their hunger, were far more in control of it.<br>"How'd Gina take it?"  
>"She wishes I'd never tasted a drop of human blood, but that's nothing new. She knows this is for the best." Naomi sighed, she and her maker had ended up in a rather heated argument when she had announced her intentions, but in the end Gina had accepted her decision. The older woman was ancient and barely needed to feed at all, whereas Naomi was feeding almost daily on her diet of pig swill. By feeding on humans she would only have to take blood two or three times a week; she would no longer be ruled by her thirst, and, in time, she would be ready to take out Sophia for good.<p>

* * *

><p>Effy moaned as she felt a pressure at her neck and her eyes slowly opened to reveal Katie was the cause of it. Her lips were pressed against her neck, kissing a soft trail along it and up her jaw until she had to move to reach her lips. She straddled her under the covers, wearing nothing but one of Effy's T-shirts so her bare thighs were pressed right up against the barely conscious girl. As wake ups went it wasn't bad and Effy certainly wouldn't grumble about it if Katie chose to wake her up like that every morning, but she hadn't forgotten what Katie had put her through the night before. She kept her lips still as the smaller girl tried to coax her in to kissing back. Katie huffed and bit down on her lip, drawing a cry out of her. "Fuck! What is with you?" She snapped as she pushed her away and frowned. "You disappear on me last night and now you're all over me?"<p>

Katie pouted up at her with big brown doe eyes as she crawled back up the bed to claim her lips. She started kissing Effy like it was the last kiss they would share, their lips crashing together as Katie's hand slipped between Effy's legs. "I'm sorry babes; let me make it up to you…"  
>"Katie!" Effy barked as she tried to clamp her legs together. She didn't know what was wrong, but something in her gut was screaming at her to stop the smaller girl.<br>"Baby, I _need_this." Katie purred as she ground her hips down against the other girl and her lips went to her neck. "Please Effy, this is what I want, what I need…"

"Fuck!" Effy screamed as something sharp pierced her neck and she jerked her head back as she pushed Katie away a little more forcefully. The oldest twin actually growled at her as she steadied herself on the bed. Her eyes were wild and her mouth was covered in blood. Effy's blood. "No…no, Katie, no…" Effy felt tears stinging at her eyes and a lump in her throat that threatened to turn in to another scream. Katie's tongue darted across the razor sharp fangs in her mouth as her eyes narrowed on her trembling girlfriend.  
>"I <em>need <em>you Effy…I'm _so _hungry baby…"

"What happened to you? Who did this?" Effy was terrified of the creature sitting on the end of the bed, but she couldn't forget that it was Katie; even if she could snap her neck and drain her dry in the blink of an eye, it was still Katie; Her Katie. She tried to stay calm, to keep Katie talking and take her attention off the drops of blood running down her neck. Katie's eyes were almost black as they followed the path of a single drop of blood, a low growl building in the pit of her stomach. "Answer me! Who did this to you?" Effy used her anger; it was the only thing stopping her from running out of the room screaming. It wouldn't do her any good to make any sudden movements around a newly born vampire. While Katie's memories of her human life and her very humanity itself were still inside of her they were buried under the all-consuming hunger that was driving her. Effy had to keep her talking if she had any hope of keeping her life. She slowly stripped the pillowcase off the pillow at her back and pressed it to her neck to stop the bleeding; and Katie's beady eyes never left her.

"He attacked me…" Katie frowned as she tried to clear the fog her hunger had shrouded her memories in. Part of her knew what Effy meant to her and wanted her to carry on trying to distract her from the blood soaking in to the pillowcase at her slender neck, but a bigger part of Katie could still taste Effy on her lips and wanted to sink her fangs deep in to her throat and drink until there was nothing left.  
>"Who? Cook? Did he do this to you?" Effy felt her blood boiling. She knew Cook had a thing for her, and he and Katie fought like cat and dog, but turning Katie in to the thing she hated the most was low, even for him.<br>"No!" Katie shook her head. It was hard for her to think when the other girl's heart was going ten to the dozen, slamming against her chest and grating on the fledgling's last nerve. "It was…someone else…I was coming out of the off-licence down the street and he was there…he thought I was Emily…"

Katie wished that she could say her memories of what had happened were vague or missing all together, but she could remember every agonizing second in detail; from the moment her legs had finally given out from under her to the very last breath she had drawn as a human, lying in the park, her hair full of twigs and leaves and her blood pooling around her. "Why did he turn you?" Effy's hand was as steady as a surgeon's as she slowly reached for her mobile. She hit the first speed dial button that would offer her any help and left the phone by her side. If Katie noticed she didn't mention it.  
>"It was an accident...he didn't mean to turn me." Katie remembered the sour taste of her maker's blood pouring in to her mouth as she had driven the knife deep in to his neck and back out again. The wound hadn't been enough to kill him, but it had chased him off, leaving Katie to slowly die in the mud. Had it not been for the blood that had landed in her open mouth she would have died; instead her eyes had opened some time later and the world as she knew it had changed.<p>

The streetlamps in the park were too bright for her sensitive eyes, the sounds of animals scurrying in the bushes around her were like nails on a chalkboard and the smell of the dead blood congealing beside her had turned her stomach. She'd been disoriented and out of sorts and the only thing her mind could pick up on was Effy. She'd made her way back to the house and when Effy hadn't answered she'd let herself in. Finding Effy's bed empty, but smelling gloriously of the other woman she had curled up on to it and finally given in to the sheer exhaustion her body felt. When she had woken up the transformation had finished and the pain was gone, but it had been replaced by something far worse; the hunger.

She had woken up with Effy nestled in to her side and everything about the other girl had simply captivated her, from her sweet scent to her soft warm skin, the hunger inside Katie had grown insatiable with every passing second. She hadn't understood it at first, had thought her overwhelming desire had been for something else, that's why she'd started kissing her neck; but then Effy had woken up and Katie's touch had set her heart racing and her blood pumping. She'd practically been able to _taste_the other girl's blood and Katie's fangs had descended of their own accord, piercing the soft flesh of Effy's neck and releasing the sweet nectar inside as well as the madness Katie felt bubbling up inside of her.

She had tried to kill Effy. She had intended to drain her dry and even as she perched uneasily on the end of the bed there was part of her that still wanted to. She pushed that part of her down, trying to bury it as deep as she could. She had died trying to protect Effy, had ran passed her house and thrown away her last chance of salvation. He might have stopped if she'd gone inside, or she might have had more of a chance to fight him; but instead she had kept running, had died alone to protect the life of the girl she loved so much. The life she had been so close to snuffing out. "I don't want to hurt you…" Katie's voice was hoarse and choked as she stood up off the bed and backed away to the other side of the room. "I need…I need help, Eff."

"I know." Effy stayed where she was on the bed, her knees tucked up to her chest as she kept the pillowcase at her neck. The puncture wounds were shallow and had already stopped bleeding, but Effy kept them covered anyway, hoping to stop the scent of her blood getting to the young vampire. Katie was fighting for control, but her eyes were still wild and on edge and Effy didn't want to risk setting her off again. "It's going to be ok…" It really wasn't. Things were as far from ok as they could get, but she needed to keep the other girl calm.

Katie didn't answer her. She stood as still as a statue as her nostrils flared and caught the scent of Effy's blood. It was like a switch going off in her head as her eyes darkened and became engrossed on the blood stained pillowcase, the flimsy cotton was the only thing keeping her from Effy's delicious blood. "No." Her voice sounded clear. "It's not."

Effy screamed again as Katie darted across the room, she wasn't as fast as other vampires but she was still too quick for Effy to do anything about. "Katie! No!" She clenched her eyes shut and braced herself for the incoming attack, but it never came. She heard Katie whimper and opened her eyes to find Cook standing by the bed, holding Katie by the throat with one arm pinned behind her back. She would have breathed a sigh of relief had her lungs not felt like there were caving in. She'd hit the speed dial for Cook, knowing he would be closer than Naomi and faster. For all he was a prick he wouldn't see Effy hurt and the moment she hadn't answered him on the phone he had known something was wrong. He looked at Katie like she was something he had stepped in as he kept his grip tightly around her throat.

"Don't hurt her!" Effy pleaded even as her tears fell from her eyes and she choked back a sob. "Please Cook, it's not her fault! She can't help it!"  
>"I know." Cook looked over at Effy as she cowered on the bed, his eyes full of pity. "I have to take her away Eff. Somewhere safe-"<br>"Fuck off Cook! Let go of me!" Katie sprang back to life as she tried to wriggle free of his grip, but Cook was older and stronger and had no trouble in keeping hold of the struggling fledgling. His tone was sharp as he hissed in her ear.  
>"I do that Katie-kins and you'll fucking rip her throat out! Look, I know how fucked up everything feels right now and I know her fucking blood is <em>singing <em>to you Katie, but imagine how you'll feel if you kill her? Just come with me, yeah? We'll fix this."

"How?" Katie choked out as her watery eyes settled on Effy. She had tried to kill the person she loved most in the world, and she would forevermore look at her and see a beating heart, not the enchanting girl attached to it. Nothing could fix that.  
>"We'll start by getting you out of here, away from Eff, and then we'll get some blood down you. It'll take the edge off." Katie nodded and Cook removed his hand from her throat and unpinned her arm from her back. He kept an arm wrapped around her waist, knowing that he could easily stop her if she went for Effy again.<p>

The other girl climbed off the bed, for all she was shaking she took a few controlled steps towards Katie, her eyes never leaving the smaller girl's, as though she was searching for something; for the girl she had fallen in love with. She heard Katie take a sharp breath and felt her body stiffen rigid as she pressed her lips to her cheek. Cook tensed, but the younger vampire didn't move a muscle as Effy cupped her face in her hands and stared her in the eye.  
>"It won't be forever Katie…You're coming back to me!"<p> 


	26. Chapter 26

**A/N: Sorry for how long it's taken me to update! I actually finished this chapter a while ago; but I wasn't happy with it so started again. Then about two thousand words in I changed my mind about where I was going with it, so this is like the third draft! A big thanks to everyone who's still reading and I promise the next chapter won't take so long!**

"Good morning good looking." Naomi smiled down at the little redhead lying beside her as Emily's eyes cracked open. A sleepy smile slipped on to Emily's lips as she rolled over to cuddle in to Naomi's side.  
>"Morning." She mumbled back, her eyes already starting to close back over.<br>"Come on Ems, wake up!" Naomi leant down to press her lips to the other girl's, trying to coax her to open her eyes again. It worked as Emily slowly began kissing her back. Even though it was still early the blonde had been awake for hours, still pumped on blood and unable to sleep. She had let the human girl sleep, knowing how badly Emily needed her rest after everything that had been going on; but she was growing restless just lying there and she was glad when Emily finally seemed to wake up properly as she climbed on to her lap and carried on kissing her. "I'm sorry about last night-"  
>"Ah, ah." Emily pressed a finger to the blonde's lips as she shook her head. "No vampire crap today. Things have been crazy lately…I just want one day where there are no vampires, no hunters, no crazy exes…just us."<p>

"I think we can manage that." Naomi's lips curled in to a smile as Emily kissed her again. It seemed like it had been an age since they'd spent any time together as a normal couple; rather than hunting vampires or trying to figure out Sophia's game plan. "Let's go get some breakfast. There's a café round the corner that does pancake stacks with maple syrup." She definitely knew the way to Emily's heart; through her stomach.  
>"Mmmm; sounds good." Emily purred, her lips trailing down Naomi's neck. "Later." She giggled as she nipped at her collarbone, earning a playful yelp from the blonde.<p>

Naomi's smile faltered as she heard a car pull up outside. Even before she heard the pounding on the door she knew it was Cook, her senses were heightened from feeding on human blood and she would be able to pick up her own childe's scent a mile away. Someone else was with him, but she couldn't quite place them. "Maybe not." She sighed as Emily rolled off her, looking as equally disappointed as Gina called up for the two girls.  
>"Think it's too late to slip out of the window?" Emily teased, only half joking. Naomi laughed as she pressed her lips to the smaller girl's before pulling her out of bed, lacing their fingers together<br>"You first."

The pair of them trudged downstairs, neither looking forward to whatever drama Cook was bound to have brought along with him. Naomi had made it quite clear that he had to choose which side he was on, and he hadn't chosen theirs. As far as she was concerned he was as much their enemy as Sophia. Naomi frowned as she found Katie standing timidly beside Cook. Gina looked up at them with a solemn expression, like someone had died. Something was definitely wrong, and Emily knew it too; halfway down the stairs her hand slipped out of Naomi's as she stopped dead in her tracks. The unnerving feeling she'd felt the night before suddenly made sense as she stared at her twin with wide, disbelieving eyes.  
>"Fuck." Naomi's eyes softened as she took in the sight of the dishevelled older twin, and the blood splattered down the front of her top. Her scent was no longer familiar, because she was no longer human "Katie…I'm so sorry…Ems!" Naomi felt the smaller girl crash in to the back of her as Emily's legs gave way and she dropped, almost falling down the stairs. Naomi's arms wrapped around her, easily cradling her as she began sobbing. Her reaction set Katie off crying again and before Cook could stop her Katie had lurched forward to hold her twin. Naomi was quicker though and used her body to shield Emily from the newly turned vampire. Katie growled at her, her fangs descended and her face contorted with rage. Naomi returned the gesture.<p>

"Enough!" Gina's voice was strong and firm as she stepped forward and placed a hand on the older twin's shoulder. "Katie, I know it's hard, but you should probably keep your distance from Emily for now. New vampires find it very hard to control their thirst; and to distinguish emotion from hunger-"  
>"I…I know." Katie's voice shook as she took a few steps back from the stairs, putting some distance between her and her twin. Emily looked like she wanted to reach out for her, but the hunter in her knew better and she stood shielded behind Naomi "I tried to eat Effy."<br>"Eff called me for help." Cook finally spoke up. He had the good sense to look grave as he looked from Emily to Gina. "This was the only place I could think to bring her. She was turned by accident-"  
>"I'll kill her!" Emily snarled, surprising all of them. Katie jumped, misunderstanding her twin's words. "Fucking Sophia! I swear she's dead!"<br>"It wasn't Sophia!" Cook objected, standing up for his adoptive sire. As Emily glared at him Katie spoke up, stopping her from turning on Cook.  
>"It was that James guy, the one who got away from Dad and Samuel the other night. He thought I was you." Katie's words twisted the knife that was already firmly plunged in Emily's heart. Katie had been turned because of <em>her.<em>

The older twin had never been interested in Hunting. She had never wanted to be part of the supernatural world; yet the choice had been taken away from her and both twins would forever be shackled to the darkness that neither of them particular wanted to be part of. Though for Katie forever really would be forever. "He didn't mean to turn me, I managed to stab him and his blood got in my mouth." Katie's expression twisted at the thought of the blood. As a new vampire she was still clinging to her humanity and the thought of feeding on blood made her stomach turn. Naomi knew all too well how hard it could be to adjust to drinking blood. She hadn't fed on human blood at first, but even feeding on animal blood had been gruesome enough.

"I could have killed him." Emily's fists tightened at her sides as she sat on the stairs, anger quickly replacing her grief and shock. She was angry at James for turning her sister and angry at herself for not killing him when she had the chance. "I could have saved you…" Tears were welling up in her eyes again as her bottom lip trembled.  
>"Emsy...it wasn't your fault." Tears were already rolling down Katie's cheeks as she took a tentative step forward. Emily ignored the blonde standing in front of her and slipped passed her to reach her twin. She moved slowly, carefully wrapping her arms around Katie's waist. Her twin's body felt stiff and rigid as Katie held her breath, not wanting to hurt her. "This wasn't your fault." Katie repeated as Emily buried her face in the crook of her neck and started to sob.<p>

"Katie..." Naomi's eyes narrowed on the older twin as she watched Katie staring at Emily's exposed neck. "Katie, don't!" Emily's screams pierced the air as Katie's fangs shot out and sank in to her younger twin's neck. Naomi took hold of Emily, pulling her away as Gina and Cook wrestled to take hold of Katie. Despite her youth she was hard to restrain as her all-consuming hunger and her desire for her sister's blood fuelled her struggling. Emily's words however stopped her dead.  
>"He killed you Katie…he killed you...you're not my sister anymore." Emily held a hand to her still bleeding neck as she wrenched herself free of Naomi's grip and shook her head. "I can't…I can't do this!"<p>

"Emily!" Katie screamed after her twin as the redhead bolted for the door. Naomi shot Gina a pleading look as she chased after her fleeing girlfriend. She caught up to her halfway down the street.  
>"Emily, please!"<br>"No!" The little redhead pulled away from her as she wrapped her arms around herself and shook her head. "I can't do this Naomi. My sister just tried to fucking bite me! I can't deal with this vampire crap anymore! I'm done!"  
>"She's still your sister Ems. Being turned doesn't change who she is. If you think this is hard for <em>you, <em>then think what it must be like for _Katie_. She didn't have a choice Emily. Right now everything is going to be so overwhelming for her and all she's going to be able to think about is blood; but it'll pass. You'll get her back Emily; just don't give up on her." She took a tentative step towards the trembling human and wrapped her arms around her. Emily stopped fighting; she slumped against Naomi, letting the blonde keep her up as the fight went out of her.  
>"I can't go back. Not yet…can we just go for those pancakes now?" Only Emily Fitch could eat at such a traumatic time.<p>

"Did you have a choice?" Emily asked in a low whisper as they sat at a table in the corner of the café close to Naomi's house. It was quiet with only a few customers at the other tables, but since they were discussing vampires Emily kept her voice low. "When Gina turned you?" Naomi's expression hardened as she remembered her own turning. She had never asked Gina to turn her. She hadn't even known what Gina was until she had sank her fangs in to her and drained her almost to the point of death. The older woman's blood had tasted sour and metallic as it had spilled in to her mouth and Naomi still remembered the sensation of choking on it. She had never asked to be turned. There had been no choice involved.  
>"Gina loved me." She couldn't defend what her maker had done to her, but she had forgiven her for it a long time ago. "She couldn't watch me die."<br>"You were dying?" Emily's eyes narrowed. Gina hadn't told her that.  
>"I was human Emily. I was dying a little each day and she couldn't let me go." Naomi had a new found understanding of the turmoil her maker had faced in deciding whether or not to turn her. Not for the first time she was thinking about asking Emily to consider being turned. With her twin now a vampire Emily had to have considered it. Sophia would not stop until Emily was turned or dead; and Naomi knew which one she'd prefer. Emily had other ideas though. She recognised the look in Naomi's eyes and instantly confirmed her own position.<p>

"I would never choose to be a vampire." Her gaze dropped to the table as she couldn't look the other girl in the eye. "I know that means that _if_ I live long enough, I'm going to grow old, and you and Katie won't. You'll both stay teenagers forever, and you'll still be alive long after I'm dead… I love you both so, so much Naomi…but I could never be like you. I'd rather be dead…and part of me wishes Katie had died."  
>"Ems…" Naomi wasn't quite sure what to say to that. She knew Emily was more open minded about vampirism than her parents, but her family had been Hunters for generations and her hatred of vampires was deep rooted inside her very genes. Emily truly did love her; but on another level she despised her for what she was. She always would.<br>"You promised Dad you'd look after us both…well I want you to promise_ me_ you'll look after Katie; even when I'm gone."  
>"Don't talk like that." Naomi scorned as she took the younger girl's hand from across the table. "I'm not going to let anything happen to you. You're going to be stuck with me and Katie when you're old, wrinkly and senile; and I will still love you." Emily managed a weak smile as she looked up at the blonde.<br>"I'll hold you to that."

After a while Emily finally pulled herself together enough to agree to go back to Naomi's. She'd have to face Katie sooner or later. They found the others gathered in the living room, with Katie cradling a mug full of something warm and sticky that Emily knew could only be blood. She looked wracked with guilt as she put the mug down and stared at Emily with the big brown eyes they both shared. Emily had managed to wipe the blood from her neck back in the café, but there was still a mark from where Katie's fangs had sunk in to her flesh. "Emsy, I'm so sorry-" The younger twin cut her off as she walked over to the sofa she was sitting on and curled up beside her, wrapping her arms around her neck as she held her tightly; though she kept her neck tucked out of reach.  
>"No, I'm sorry Katie. You're still my sister, no matter what…Emsy sham." She apologised again in twin, causing Katie to choke on a sob.<br>"Katie sham du."

"Not to break up the party or anything, but we need to think about what we're going to do with the little vampire over there." Cook stood with his arms crossed over his broad chest. "This Rosenberg guy's old. He's bound to have turned other vamps."  
>"So?" Katie frowned, not liking Cook's tone of voice. Emily stiffened beside her. Katie had never taken much of an interest in hunting or the rules that governed both vampire and hunters, but Emily knew them inside out; just as she knew the Vampire Council had issued James' Rosenberg's death warrant specifically because he had been turning too many people. Since the treaty in the early nineties it had been agreed that vampires would only sire one childe each. James had illegally sired at least forty people in the last fifteen years; and he wasn't the only one who'd been punished for it. The vampires he had turned had been killed themselves in order to restore the balance. Emily felt the pit of her stomach drop. The same fate would await Katie if the vampire council found out about her.<p>

"So they won't let you live if he has." Naomi finally answered Katie as Cook and Emily made no attempt to reply. "We need to hide her and we need to do it quickly-"  
>"No, I need to see mum and dad! They don't know yet Ems! I have to see them! And Effy too, I can't just leave her!" Katie looked to her sister for support, but Emily couldn't look at her.<br>"Dad and Samuel are hunters Katie, they'd have to turn you in-"  
>"No, dad would never do that to me!" Katie snapped, her eyes dark and her temper rising. "He'll speak to the council, he'll-"<br>"If your father defies the council and breaks the terms of the treaty to protect you it could break the truce we've all been sharing for the last twenty years." Gina's voice was soft yet firm as she took a seat beside the newly turned vampire and took one of her hands. "You can't put him in that position Katie, it wouldn't be fair. You need to hide, and you can't tell your family what's happened to you; it's for the best." Katie shook her head as tears welled up in her eyes.  
>"No! There has to be something we can do! There has to be!"<p>

She looked desperately from Gina to Naomi, praying that one of them could suddenly come up with something. Surprisingly it was Cook who offered her salvation. "There is. We kill Rosenberg first, claim his life for Katie's; that way there's still the same number of vampires in Bristol there was yesterday and everybody's happy."  
>"Easier said than done. If he didn't mean to turn Katie he might think she's dead, which means he's going to be deep underground, avoiding some very pissed off hunters. How do you suggest we find him?"<br>"We'll worry about that later!" Emily snapped. "Right now_ you_ need to get Katie somewhere safe. I'll cover with mum and dad-"  
>"I can't just leave you!" Naomi objected. With Rosenberg on the loose and Sophia still sniffing around she would be stupid to leave the little redhead alone.<br>"Please, you promised me Naomi! Just get Katie somewhere safe. Cook will look after me, right Cookie?" Cook looked momentarily taken aback, but shrugged and nodded at the little redhead who was acting like they were still the best of friends.  
>"Right, Red."<p>

Despite her initial reluctance to leave her girlfriend unprotected Naomi finally relented and agreed to take Katie out of the city until Rosenberg could be killed. She had given Emily her word to protect Katie after all and as a new-born vampire Katie was probably more of a danger to Emily than any of the other vampires in her life anyway. "Stay safe." Naomi sighed in to her hair as she pulled the human girl in for a hug at the front door. Emily and Katie had already said their tearful goodbyes and it was Naomi's turn. It was slightly awkward with Cook hovering beside them at the front door. She pressed her lips to Emily's as she pulled away.  
>"You too." Emily managed a weak smile. She held it in place as she followed Cook to his car.<p>

Once they were inside she turned to face him with a grim expression. She had a good reason to get Katie and Naomi out of the way and she would need Cook's help to see her plan through. "Take me to Sophia."  
>"Red…" Cook trailed off as he sat with his hands clamped around the steering wheel. He looked genuinely torn between helping Emily and protecting her.<br>"Please Cook, Sophia is part of Rosenberg's world. If anyone can help me find him and kill him it's her-"  
>"She won't do it for free." Cook huffed as he slipped the car in to gear and he almost sounded like the old Cook she had known long before Naomi and Sophia arrived in Bristol. "You know that right?"<br>"Yeah. I know." Emily was determined as she stared him in the eye. "That's why I'm going to make her a deal."


	27. Chapter 27

**A/N: The last chapter took forever to write and I still wasn't happy with it, this one practically wrote itself! Hopefully a quicker and slightly longer update makes up for the last one taking so long! **

"And to what do I owe this pleasure?" Sophia purred as she opened her front door and found Emily standing in front of her. She lost her grin as she took in the sight of the younger girl. Her jaw was set tight and despite the fiery fury in her gaze her eyes looked dead. "What's wrong?"  
>"I want to make a deal." Emily shoved past the vampire, inviting herself in to her apartment. "I want you to kill a vampire for me."<br>"And why would I do that?" Sophia quizzed. She crossed her arms over her chest, watching Emily closely as she walked around her living room, scrutinizing Sophia's taste in décor as she tried to avoid the vampire's piercing gaze. She was falling apart and the last thing she needed was for her to realise just how desperate she was.  
>"Because this vampire's tried to kill me; twice. This mark on my back means I'm yours, so I suggest you start protecting your assets." Emily knew she was pushing it, but she needed Sophia to take out Rosenberg for her. Sophia's dark eyes narrowed on the youngest twin as she chuckled mirthlessly.<br>"So you're mine when it suits you? Again, _why_ should I help you?"  
>"Because I'll let you drink from me. Whenever you want."<p>

"I already can." In the blink of an eye Sophia crossed the room and pinned Emily up against the wall by her head. Her fangs hovered inches from her neck and she didn't miss the angry jagged bite mark that was already there. "My, my, Naomi's getting sloppy."  
>"It wasn't Naomi!" Emily growled as she pushed Sophia away from her and put a hand self-consciously across the wound. "And you can't feed on me without my permission, not without breaking the treaty."<br>"And you'll give me your permission, if I kill a vampire, one of my own brethren, for you? Is it Naomi? Trouble in paradise already?" She teased, trying to pretend she wasn't interested; but the thought of someone else other than the blonde feeding on Emily had her blood boiling. She had marked the youngest twin to stop any other vampire from feeding on her. Young vampires simply had no respect anymore.  
>"It was Katie." Even the centuries old vampire couldn't hide her shock from Emily's admission. "I want you to kill the vampire who turned her." As angry as she had been at Katie for biting her and despite what she had said Katie was still her sister. She would do anything for her.<p>

Sophia recovered quickly as she began circling Emily like a vulture. "I think we can make a deal; on my terms of course. No one else feeds from you, not Naomi, not Katie, _just_ me. Do you understand?" Emily nodded slowly; her throat had suddenly gone dry. She hadn't really thought her plan through beyond offering Sophia something she would want.  
>"Deal. Now we need to find Rosenberg and-"<br>"Rosenberg? James or John?" Sophia's brow furrowed as she stopped circling the smaller girl. She didn't particularly like either of the brothers, but when Emily confirmed it was James she rolled her eyes and muttered under her breath.  
>"The brothers have illegally sired more than a dozen vampires since the treaty was signed; Marcus and the Vampire Council have killed every last one of them. If they find out about Katie-"<br>"I know that. That's the only reason I'm here. John is dead. James is already wanted by the council; he's going be in hiding. Naomi and Gina don't run in the same circles as you do. If anyone can find him for me, it's you." Emily tried to lay it on thick, hoping to get Sophia's help by feeding her ego.

"Interesting." Sophia's lips curled up in to a smirk as though Emily's charm was winning her over. She knew full well that the human girl was trying to play her, but she played along anyway; having Emily Fitch in her debt could only be a good thing. "Naomi doesn't know you're here does she? Making deals with the devil."  
>"I don't need her permission." Emily shot back, forcing her head up high. "Now are you going to help me or not? Or do I have to find myself another vampire-" She was cut off as Sophia's hand clamped painfully tight around her throat.<br>"Such a stupid child." Sophia growled in her face, baring her fangs. Emily continued to stare her in the eye, refusing to show just how afraid she really was of the powerful creature that had her in its clutches. "Like I said, I'll help, but no other vampire gets to touch you. You're mine Emily Fitch, understood?"  
>"Understood." The smaller girl choked out. Satisfied Sophia released her grip on her throat and shoved her back so that she fell down on to one of the plush sofas. Emily gingerly rubbed at her neck. "So where do we start looking for him?"<p>

"We?" Sophia repeated as she sauntered over to the drinks cabinet in the corner of the living room and fixed herself a drink. "I've got a good idea where he is Princess, and it's nowhere you belong."  
>"I'm coming with you!" Emily objected. "I want to see him pay for what he's done to Katie. I want to see him suffer!" Sophia's lips curled up in to an amused smile. The human girl's darker nature was definitely coming out and it intrigued her. She'd watched Emily over the years. She'd seen her bury her pain and anger as she blindly followed her older twin's lead and she'd been there watching when Emily had first started to break free from under Katie's shadow, throwing herself deeper in to training to be a hunter while Katie tried to break away from it all. There was a darkness deep inside Emily, a seed of anger that had been planted the day Sophia had marked her. The quieter, younger twin was definitely the more fearsome of the two; all she needed was the right motivation and Emily would easily be a force to be reckoned with.<p>

"Fine, but you should know he's probably in an underground vampire club in London. A place even the biggest of the big bad vampire hunters are scared to go to. It tends to attract vampires who are in hiding. Of course they don't let just _any_ human in. You'll have to do exactly as I say, _dress_ how I say…" Sophia's eyes raked over the smaller girl's body as she scrutinized her. Emily felt uncertain again but forced her head to nod in agreement. It was for Katie. Whatever she would have to endure, it would all be for her twin.  
>"Are you sure you can get me in?"<br>"Of course." Sophia smirked as she offered her a hand to help her to her feet. "I do _own_the club after all."

After a change of clothes and an uncomfortable two hour car drive Emily finally found herself in front of a nightclub in the heart of London's West End. The large neon sign over the door read 'Exodus'. For an underground blood club it didn't seem to be too well hidden. The queue to get in was right down the street and the loud music coming from inside was practically vibrating through the brickwork. As Emily stepped out of the car Sophia had driven them down in she pulled on her short dress. Sophia had insisted she change in to clothes more suitable to go to the club. Emily had never gone clubbing in a little black dress with matching heels. With her hair pinned up and pearls around her neck she looked more suitable for a ball room rather than a seedy nightclub. Sophia had been pleased with the look though, especially the low cut dress with spaghetti straps that clearly showed off the scar on Emily's shoulder blade. There would be no mistaking who she belonged to.

Sophia's arm slipped around Emily's, keeping a firm hold on her as they approached the door of the club. "Now remember what I said Emily." Sophia's voice purred against her ear as she leant in close. She'd lecture Emily for the entire drive over, telling her how to act and how to speak when they were in the club. "You speak only when you're spoken to, you don't look any vampire in the eye and you do exactly as I say, no back answering, no objecting, understood?" When Emily didn't reply she dug her nails in to the smaller girl's bare arm and she whimpered before nodding her head.  
>"I understand."<p>

Happy with her answer Sophia sauntered up to the bouncer on the door. His eyes widened at the sight of her and he quickly pulled the door open for her with a shaking hand. "Evening Miss Sophia." She nodded towards the man, her hand slipping in to Emily's as she pulled her inside. The club was like any other, dark, crowded and full of pulsating bodies dancing to terrible music. It didn't look like much of a vampire blood club, but from the hundreds of humans crammed inside Emily guessed they weren't exactly likely to be performing human sacrifices on the stage. Sophia led them over to a set of stairs that were roped off, leading to some VIP area underneath the club. The bouncer once again greeted Sophia like royalty as he ushered her past the rope. He smiled nervously at Emily as she caught him crossing himself as Sophia defended the stairs. His eyes widened and then dropped as they caught sight of the mark on her shoulder.  
>"Come along Emily."<p>

The stairs led down in to a basement below the club. It was a large room with a bar along the length of one wall and private booths along the other. There were tables in front of a stage where a man sat playing a grand piano beside a blonde woman singing old fashioned songs. The sounds from above were muted and if Emily hadn't just walked through a rave she might have been inclined to believe she had stepped back in time. She suddenly understood Sophia's choice in attire as the older woman led her over to one of the private booths along the back wall. Emily's jaw tightened as she caught sight of Rosenberg. The bastard had attacked her twin and left her for dead. Emily had never wanted to hurt someone so much in her life. Sophia's grip on her hand tightened; killing any thoughts she had about picking up the champagne bottle in the middle of the table and smashing it over his head.

"Sophia, so lovely to see you, and I see you brought supper; though I don't usually have the same meal twice in one week." Emily's resolve snapped as she picked up one of the silver forks from the table and slammed it down in to Rosenberg's palm before he could move it. He screamed as the silver stopped his flesh from healing and blood seeped out on to the immaculate white tablecloth. His clenched fist flew out to strike Emily, but Sophia was quicker and caught his hand.  
>"Remember whose house you're in James." She let his fist drop and yanked the fork out of his other hand, twisting it a little as she pulled it. "The girl is mine. If anyone's going to put her in her place, it will be me, understood?" Emily watched as the vampire who had tried to kill her on more than one occasion shrunk back like a child cowering under Sophia's glare. The others at the table, mostly vampires, dropped their gazes, offering him no help. It was only as the powerful vampires trembled in fear of Sophia that Emily realised just how dangerous she was. She understood how the vampire hierarchy worked; older vampires were more powerful and feared than younger ones. Emily had no idea how old Sophia was, but it seemed a room full of vampires were terrified of her. Not for the first time she began to regret tangling with her. She knew her deal would cost her, but she needed Rosenberg dead and for that she needed a vampire more ruthless than he was. Sophia was her only option.<p>

"I'd heard the rumours that you had yourself a pet hunter." Another vampire spoke up. She was an older woman in her late fifties. It was rare to see a vampire looking so old. With her wide rimmed spectacles and tight white perm she could have passed for somebody's grandma. Sophia's firm hand on her bare shoulder guided Emily to take a seat next to the older woman as they both slipped in to the booth, and Emily didn't miss the way everyone's eyes went to the scar on her back. She was used to people staring at it. Whenever she'd gone swimming as a kid, or gotten changed for PE lessons, people had gawked at the raised white scar tissue on her shoulder blade. Of course the vampires knew the true meaning of the mark. It was proof of Sophia's claim on her.

"I gave her my mark fifteen years ago; of course I've only recently been able to assert my claim. She's still learning, aren't you?" Without warning Sophia's fingers clamped around the bun she'd pinned her hair up in and yanked, tugging her head back and exposing her neck. "Why don't you apologise to Mr Rosenberg, Emily?"  
>"He killed my fucking sis- Ow!" Emily whimpered as Sophia tugged harder on her hair, pulling it at the root. She knew she was supposed to play along with Sophia's act, but she wasn't all that sure the vampire was playing. "I'm sorry!" She spat her words out with no sincerity at all, but it seemed to please Sophia and she let go of her hair. Her hand found Emily's knee and squeezed it, as though apologising. Rosenberg didn't look quite as appeased as he shot the young hunter dirty looks from the other side of the table. He straightened his tie before picking up his wine glass with his still healing hand.<br>"And your family killed my brother. I'd say we're almost even. Except of course my brother was a fully grown man, equivalent to _two_little girls I think."

"James, I really don't like to repeat myself." Sophia rolled her eyes at the younger vampire as though he'd suggested the wrong wine for a meal. "Emily Fitch is _mine. _Touch her and you'll be joining your brother much sooner than you anticipated." Her voice was low and even, yet the threat was clear as she poured out two large glasses of champagne from the bottle sitting in the ice bucket in the middle of the table. She handed a glass to Emily and the small human gladly took a large gulp. She wasn't sure what game Sophia was playing. If she could kill James so easily then why hadn't she done it already?

"Really? So the little girl has turned her back on centuries of hunting, all because you marked her as a child?" The white haired woman beside Emily quizzed, scrutinizing the young hunter over the rim of her glasses.  
>"I can be very persuasive." She trailed a finger along Emily's jaw and it took everything in her not to shudder. "Emily does as I say and she's rewarded accordingly." As the other vampires all exchanged dubious glances the youngest twin realised Sophia was trying to win the group's trust. Her business and reputation obviously depended on her reputation and helping hunters to kill other vampires wouldn't do her any favours.<p>

"Prove it; tell her to _offer _her blood to me." Rosenberg grinned smugly. Emily stiffened like a deer caught in headlights, though she should have known Sophia wouldn't agree. She was far too possessive to give up her prize.  
>"As I said James, she's <em>all <em>mine. I don't share with anyone."  
>"Oh? What about the blonde who stopped me from sinking my teeth in to her? Another one of your pets I believe." Sophia lost her smile as her eyes narrowed on the other vampire. Naomi was clearly a sore subject for her.<br>"Naomi and Cook have been keeping an eye on her for me. I couldn't risk just going after a hunter's daughter straight away now, could I? Emily knows who her master is, don't you sweetheart?"

"Y-yes miss." Emily didn't need to fake the stutter in her voice as Sophia's hand slipped up her thigh under the table and out of sight of the others. She had agreed to play along, but there was only so far she could be pushed.  
>"Prove it then." Rosenberg carried on pushing and Emily began eyeing up the silverware again. "Why don't you feed from your pet?" A predatory smile slipped on to Sophia's lips as she turned her attention to Emily. Without missing a beat the redhead offered up her wrist; if it would lead to Rosenberg's painful death she would let Sophia drink as much as she wanted.<p>

"Oh sweetheart, you know that's not my favourite vain. Be a dear and sit up on the table for me." Sophia's gaze burned in to Emily's, demanding she do as she was told. Emily felt her courage wavering as she considered the other woman might have been playing her all along. Never breaking eye contact she slipped up on to the table, sitting with her back to Rosenberg with her legs dangling over the edge of the table in front of Sophia. Her entire body was shaking as Sophia gently pushed her legs apart, hiking her dress up and exposing the creamy flesh of her thighs. Before Emily could change her mind Sophia's fangs descended and she plunged them in to the human girl's inner thigh.

She bit down on her lip to stop herself from crying out. She wouldn't give any of them the satisfaction of whimpering. Sophia's bite hurt a lot more than Naomi's ever had, and she guessed that was part punishment for stabbing James and part twisted pleasure. Sophia took a lot more than Emily expected and when she finally pulled away, her lips pressing a final soft kiss against Emily's skin, the small girl felt light headed. Sophia's deceptively strong arms pulled her down from the table and on to her lap, cradling her against her chest. Emily's head found her shoulder as she slumped against her, a mixture of alcohol and blood loss leaving her feeling weak.

"How delightful!" The white haired vampire clapped enthusiastically. "That takes me back! I remember back in thirty-four when you and Naomi took that cocktail waitress on the table at the Ritz!"  
>"Remember the twins in Blackpool?" Another of the vampires sat at the table roared with laughter and the rest of the table joined in. Emily felt her stomach twist. "I think Naomi damn near decapitated one of 'em!"<br>"Good times." Sophia agreed, though her expression was sombre as she teased Emily's hair out of its bun and ran her fingers through it soothingly. The action did little to reassure her as she listened to the others reminiscing about Naomi and Sophia's past exploits.  
>"Damn shame that girl went vegetarian. I've never seen someone keep a human alive for so long with half their head torn off!" The white haired woman shook her own head as she lifted the wrist of her male companion to her lips and sank her fangs in to it. Emily closed her eyes; recoiling at the sight of the young man eagerly being fed on by the disgusting old woman whose other hand was rubbing at his crotch. She felt sick to her stomach and regretted ever going to Sophia for help. She was toying with her. She had no intentions of killing Rosenberg for her.<br>"I've heard she's started to vary her diet." Sophia grinned, catching Emily's eye.

"Take me home." Emily demanded in Sophia's ear, too low for even the ears of the nearby vampires to pick up on. To the others it looked like she was nuzzling at the other girl's ear. Sophia turned her head to catch Emily's lips, stealing a kiss from her, knowing full well Emily couldn't pull away without raising suspicion. Her tongue slipped in between Emily's parted lips and it took all of her will power not to bite the vampire.  
>"Patience sweet heart, you'll have me all to yourself soon enough." Her hand slipped up Emily's thigh, brushing against her bite and teasing the skin just below her core. Emily almost shot out of the booth, but Sophia's grip on her leg was tight enough to hold her in place.<p>

She buried her face in the crook of Sophia's neck, hissing in to her. "I swear I'll fucking kill you!" She gasped as something hard and sharp grazed her neck. The vampire had bitten her again and was taking even more blood from her. Emily's eyes rolled to the back of her head as the world around her became a blur of colours running in and out of focus.  
>"I want some fun tonight. I think Emily can sleep this off while I'm otherwise occupied." She shot a busty human blonde sitting beside one of the other vampires a smirk as she scooped Emily up in to her arms and stood up. She carried the tiny girl to the door by the bar and in to a smaller room with a series of cots set up. Most were empty, though one or two humans were already passed out on them. She carefully placed Emily down on one of them, pressing her lips to the other girl's forehead before pulling away. Without a word she left the way she had come in, leaving Emily lying half-conscious in the dimly lit room.<p>

She wasn't sure what was going on, but she had a feeling Sophia had double crossed her. If she warned Rosenberg about Katie then he could flee, or even worse he could go back and finish Katie off before the council found out about her. Thinking about her twin she tried to get to her feet, but she'd barely sat up when nausea washed over her. Her stomach lurched and she just managed to lean over the edge of the metal cot before her lunch made a sudden reappearance. Sophia had taken too much, leaving her dizzy and weak; she was defenceless.

Apparently she wasn't the only one who had come to that conclusion. She lay on her back, watching in horror as the door leading to the bar opened and the silhouette of a large man filled her field of vision. James Rosenberg loosened his tie as he stepped in to the room, closing the door behind him. There was a manic glint in his eyes that no doubt had been the last thing many of his countless victims had seen before their deaths. "It looks like your mistress is a little preoccupied…so, _Emily Fitch,_how about we finish what we started, hmm?"


	28. Chapter 28

Rosenberg's cruel laughter rang out as Emily tried to scramble off the cot she was lying on and ended up face first on the floor. Her bare knees scraped against the concrete floor and the pain shot through her entire body. She tried to ignore it and push herself back up to her feet, but her head was still swimming from how much blood Sophia had taken from her and her actions were slow and clumsy like she was drunk. She'd barely risen off the floor when the back of the vampire's hand caught her full force on the cheek; his chunky sovereign ring bit in to her lip, tearing the flesh open and sending her stumbling back against the metal cot. She landed half on and half off it, her back slamming against the frame. She grunted, unable to stop herself from cursing with the pain. Rosenberg let out another laugh as he licked at the specks of blood on his ring before his cold dead eyes landed on her again. "Oh, I'm going to enjoy this-"

He'd barely taken a step when he fell silent, his eyes going wide. He gargled something unintelligible as blood dripped from his open mouth. Emily watched as he stumbled forward and then dropped to his knees. He reached out a hand for her, his wide eyes pleading for help, but the little human girl was frozen in place on the cot, her eyes glued to the woman standing behind Rosenberg. She held his still beating heart in the palm of her open hand. With his attention focused on Emily he had failed to notice the older vampire sneak up on him and she had punched a hole right through his chest. "My sentiment exactly James." Sophia's words were oddly calm, a complete contrast to her violent actions.

The vampire spluttered and panted as he lay on his hands and knees. He'd only just begun to register what he had lost when Sophia used her free hand to take hold of his shirt collar and drag him to his feet. She flung him back out the open door, sending him crashing in to the nearest table back outside in the bar. Emily barely registered the screams from outside as her stomach lurched and she heaved, bringing up bile that stung her throat and made her eyes water. Sophia ignored her as she followed Rosenberg back out in to the bar. He lay amongst the ruins of one of the tables, staring in disbelief at the gaping hole in his chest. Without his heart to pump the stolen blood around his body the wound would not heal. In itself the wound was not fatal. No, he would die a slow and painful death as each cell in his body slowly shut down, unable to regenerate themselves. His hunger would drive him out of his mind long before his body failed him.

The other patrons of the bar, both humans and vampires alike, watched as Sophia slowly sauntered up to him and dropped his sticky shrivelled heart at his feet. She licked at the blood on her fingers, though it would provide her no sustenance since it belonged to a vampire. Her voice was as condescending as her smirk as she stared down at the pitiful creature in front of her. "James, I _did _warn you." She cast an icy glare around the room at the gawking crowd so they would know she was addressing them all. "Emily Fitch is mine!" She had known the other vampire wouldn't have been able to resist Emily, not when the little hunter was so weak and vulnerable; he'd played right in to her hands trying to attack her when their were others to bear witness to his crimes. Vampires were noble creatures, with a code of honour dating back centuries, Sophia's mark alone should have been enough to stop Rosenberg from going after Emily. No vampire could fault her for killing him, not when she was protecting her property.

As much as she enjoyed the prospect of making him suffer she hadn't made it to her age by giving her enemies the chance to strike back at her. Stepping forward she bent down and took his flushed cheeks in her hands. "P-please...please-" He stuttered helplessly, but Sophia wasn't one for second chances. With lightening speed she twisted his head, snapping his neck and almost wrenching it clean off. She released him and his lifeless body slumped to the ground. "Take care of _this." _She nodded to the staff behind the bar, vampires who had worked for her long enough to know better than to disobey her. As she turned to fetch Emily the music started up again and the people in the bar carried on as though nothing had happened. No one would challenge her over the death.

She found Emily passed out on the metal bunk, her small body looked pale and fragile as she scooped her up in to her arms and carried her out of the club. There was a deep cut on her lip and a nasty bruise on her cheek. Her knees were scraped and her left knee in particular looked badly swollen. Then there were the tiny puncture marks on her neck from where Sophia had drank from her the second time. She'd paid a hefty price to avenge her sister's death and would carry on paying for it every time Sophia fed from her. Sophia knew their arrangement would infuriate Naomi and she intended to feed on Emily as often as her body could cope with. 

* * *

><p>"You shouldn't have left Emily with Cook." Katie sat sulking as she stared out of the window of the hotel they'd booked in to. It was in the middle of nowhere and run by vampires, old friends of Gina's that had been happy to take the two of them in. It meant the newly turned vampire was miles away from the temptation of human blood. She held a cup of pig's blood in her hands, but she hadn't touched a drop of it. The blood had gone cold and was starting to congeal on the surface like a thick rubbery skin. Naomi sighed as she put down the book she was reading. If she was going to spend time in a hotel in the middle of the countryside, miles from anywhere, then Katie Fitch was not the twin she would have chosen to spend it with. She'd been mercifully silent for most of the night and Naomi had left her to it; she understood how traumatic the transition to vampire could be and knew her words of comfort would fall on deaf ears when it came to Katie. She didn't want anyone's sympathy, especially not Naomi's.<p>

"Cook can be a prick sometimes, but he won't let anything happen to Emily. He's loyal-"  
>"He's loyal to Sophia and his dick and that's about it!" Katie growled, her emotions heightened by her hunger. "We shouldn't be here! We should be protecting Emily-"<br>"I am protecting Emily!" Naomi snapped back at her. "By keeping _you _away from her! If you go for her again Katie you're going to lose her! Effy too! You need to get used to what you are, and you need to feed! I could care less whether it's human or animal, but you need to eat! You can't be hungry around the people you care about Katie, because just _one _wrong move and they're dead!"

Naomi felt a pang of guilt as she watched the colour drain from Katie's face. She stared at the mug in her hands and slowly lifted it to her lips, almost gagging as she closed her eyes and forced it down; of course the second it actually passed her lips she wolfed it down, her natural instincts taking over. She sighed as she put the empty cup down and ran her hands through her hair. She looked so vulnerable that Naomi remembered _just_ how old she really was; seventeen. Seventeen and her human life had been torn away from her. Naomi understood that more than anyone.  
>"It's going to be ok, it'll take time but-"<br>"No it won't." Katie growled. "I died Naomi! I fucking died and then I tried to _eat_ my girlfriend and my twin! My parents don't even know what's happened to me and I'm stuck in the middle of nowhere, drinking disgusting blood, with _you!_Nothing is ever going to be ok again!" She crossed her arms over her chest and stared out of the window at the endless fields surrounding the hotel, trying to look angry, but she looked close to tears.

"You're right." Naomi admitted. "I won't lie to you Katie. Things won't be the same and they might not be ok for a long time, but you have to try. You have to get a handle on your thirst and learn to live with it…we both do. So come on." Katie frowned at her as the blonde picked up her coat and tossed it to her.  
>"Where are we going?"<br>"To learn." It took them almost an hour to get back to Bristol and with it being so late at night they had to take a taxi. Katie was unusually silent for the whole trip, though Naomi didn't miss the way she was staring at the back of the driver's neck. The blonde took her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. She expected her to pull away, to snap at her or bite her head off, but she didn't. She just let it go.

The only time she even acknowledged Naomi was when they pulled up outside of Cook's flat. Katie had been there a few times for one of his legendary house parties. She frowned at the blonde but followed her as she paid the taxi driver and then made her way up to Cook's flat. She'd been texting him on the way over and he was expecting them. He opened the door with an easy smile and stepped aside to let them in. "Alright Katie-kins? Naomi got you drinking that pig shit has she? Well I've got something much better for you." His eyes twinkled with mischief as he led her in to the living room. Naomi trailed behind them. "Girls, meet Arsia. Arsia, Katie, Naomi." Cook grinned as he introduced the scantily clad long legged girl draped over his sofa. Naomi cringed at the sight of her. She'd asked Cook to find someone willing to let Katie feed on them so that she could learn to control herself; trust him to pick a girl who looked like a cheap copy of Effy.  
>"Like, hi!" The girl's eyes were as wide as saucers and there was a good chance she was drunk, high, or both.<p>

"Uh, hi." Katie replied. Her voice was strained as she glared at Cook. She'd obviously picked up on the other girl's uncanny likeness to her girlfriend too. "What's going on?"  
>"You need to learn to feed." Cook answered her, sounding a little more serious. "Arsia's a donor, a human that likes to get fed on. Not as fun as hunting someone down of course-"<br>"Cook!" Naomi scorned. She wanted to teach Katie to live between the two extremes of vampirism; to find a way to feed on humans without being overcome by her hunger. As much as she hated to admit it Cook had a better handle on his hunger than she did. He had found a happy medium and could feed without being overwhelmed by his blood lust. "She's not here to learn how to hunt!"

"Yeah, yeah, human rights and all that bollocks. Come on then Katie, whip your fangs out!"

The younger vampire scrunched her face up and clenched her fists as she tried to force her fangs down. She looked between the other two vampires for help and Cook chuckled. "Help her out babe." Arsia nodded as she pulled out a small pen knife from her pocket and happily sliced a cut in her palm. The second the skin split Katie's fangs appeared and a low growl built up in the back of her throat. Naomi felt her own fangs pricking at her gums in response to the blood. A second later Katie crossed the room so fast that she was dizzy when she came to a stop, kneeling in front of the strange girl Cook used as a human blood bag. She hesitated as Arsia held her open hand up for her. She was still fighting what she had become. Cook knelt down beside her and guided her mouth to the human girl's waiting hand.

As Katie fed Cook ran a gentle hand through her hair, his voice soft and soothing as he reassured her she was doing it right. "Count to thirty and then stop, any more than thirty and you risk taking too much…ok, that's enough. Katie!" His voice was stern as he pulled her away. Katie's eyes were wider than Arsia's and her tongue was lapping at her lips as she tried to savour the last of the blood. Naomi remembered all too well the first time she had fed on a human. She'd spent thirty years never knowing anything but the taste of bland pig's blood. The moment she'd first tasted human blood it had been like an explosion on her tongue, setting her taste buds on fire and igniting a thirst that had been unquenchable ever since.

When Naomi had taught Cook to feed she had never offered him willing donors, or warm words of wisdom like count to thirty; she'd taught him to hide in the shadows, to stalk in the darkness and take who and what he wanted. She'd let him gorge himself on blood, regardless of whether or not his victim lived. She'd only passed on what Sophia had taught her, though as shit as Naomi had been at the whole parenting thing it seemed Cook hadn't turned out all bad after all.

Later, after Cook had sent Arsia home and Katie was curled up on his sofa quietly contemplating what had become of her life, Naomi sat with her protégé, sharing a cold beer at the kitchen table. "Can you keep Katie here tonight? We need to keep her away from home until we figure out what we're going to do about Rosenberg?" Cook fidgeted in his seat, tearing at the label on his beer bottle. He couldn't look her in the eye as he answered.  
>"Don't worry about it. Emily's fixing it."<br>"What? What do you mean Emily's fixing it? Cook?" Naomi's eyes narrowed on the younger vampire as she felt her stomach drop. "What the fuck has she done Cook?"

* * *

><p>"You ripped his heart out." Emily sat on Sophia's plush couch, cradling a tumbler of whisky and hot sweet lemonade that Sophia had given her to help her feel better when she'd finally woken up in the early hours of the morning.<br>"How did you expect me to kill a vampire Emily? Tickle him to death?" Sophia arched her brow at her as she swirled her own glass, the ice clinking against the side of it. "You asked me to kill him and I did. We had a deal, Emily." The smaller girl's hand went to her neck as she clenched her thighs together, her cheeks burning at the embarrassment of having Sophia feed on her in such an intimate place.  
>"I know." She mumbled, her eyes fixed on the carpet. "You can feed on me when you want." Sophia's lips curled up in to a wicked smile. She enjoyed having something over the little hunter; especially when she knew it would drive a wedge between her and Naomi.<p>

"You know, you're so delicious I may have to put off turning you for a while." Sophia's hips rolled as she sauntered over to the smaller girl, tipping her chin up to look her in the eye as she stared hungrily down at the redhead who's life she had claimed so long ago.  
>"Yeah? Maybe put it off for four or five decades?" Emily tried, her efforts earning a chuckle from the vampire hovering over her.<br>"More like four or five _weeks, _sweetie. You'll be eighteen soon after all." Emily felt her heart pounding against her chest as she realised she and Katie would be turning eighteen in less than a week. Once Emily was of legal age Sophia could turn her; of course if she still insisted on Emily agreeing to be turned then she would be waiting a hell of a lot longer than that.

"Why turn me at all now?" Emily pushed as Sophia let go of her chin and dropped down on the sofa beside her. "Katie's been turned, why not just kill me?" The youngest Fitch didn't exactly have a death wish, but if it came down to dying or being turned then she would choose to die. Sophia shook her head as she sipped at her drink.  
>"It's not just about getting back at your family Emily…I've never turned anyone. I've never truly had a childe of my own. I took Naomi in, and I helped to raise Cook, but neither of them are <em>part<em> of me. You will be." She leant forward, intending to kiss her, but Emily pulled away, scowling at her.  
>"I'll never be your anything!"<p>

She tried to stand but her legs gave way as the world began spinning around her again. She was still unsteady on her feet from losing so much blood, but struggling on she made her way towards the door. Sophia followed lazily behind her, making no real effort to catch up to her until Emily had tackled the latch on the front door. She slammed her hand against the wooden door, blocking Emily's escape as she leant in close, her lips grazing against her ear. She chuckled, sending shivers running up and down the little human's spine. "You're going to be my everything sweetie." She purred, her body pressing harder against Emily's as her lips found the column of her neck. Emily's eyes fluttered shut and an involuntary moan escaped her lips. "Just stop fighting me, Emily. Just give in, it's so easy baby…"

Emily's eyes shot open as she heard something slam against the other side of the door and she felt the vibrations running through the wood as there was a second bang. Sophia growled in frustration as she yanked Emily away from the door, keeping an iron grip on her wrist as she slowly opened the door. Her expression was composed as she opened it all the way to find a scowling Naomi on the other side. The blonde's crystal blue eyes darted from the older vampire to the shaking human she was holding on to. She caught sight of the bite mark on her neck, her bust lip and her scraped knees. She took in her pallor, and let out a growl of her own. Sophia's grip on Emily's arm tightened all the more. "Sorry Naomi, private party."  
>"Really not in the mood Sophia. Let go of her. Now."<br>"Make me-"

Naomi's arm shot out, her hand clamping around Sophia's throat before she could finish her taunt. Her eyes widened for a moment, surprised by the other vampire's strength as she crushed her windpipe. She let go of Emily to grip Naomi's arm instead. "Someone's been drinking her milk." She laughed as she bent Naomi's wrist so far back that Emily heard the sickening sound of the bone snapping. Naomi screamed as she dropped to her knees, cradling her broken hand against her chest as she stared daggers at the vampire towering over her. "But I'm still stronger Naoms, and older and faster and _smarter._"

She turned her attention to Emily as the smaller girl helped Naomi to her feet, wrapping a protective arm around her lover. "It's been a pleasure Emily, as always. I'll be in touch, we can do lunch." Her fangs erupted from her gums as she smirked at the hunter. Emily ignored her as she dragged Naomi away. They made their way out of the apartment block in silence, only stopping once they were a few streets away. Naomi flexed her fingers and bent her wrist back and forth; glad she was healing so quickly, mostly because of her diet of human blood.

"What the hell did you think you were doing Emily?" She snapped, glaring at the younger girl. "How could be so stupid? You know Sophia would never help you without expecting something in return she-"

"She killed Rosenberg." Emily interrupted, stopping the blonde mid-rant. "She got the job done; now we can go to the council and ask them to spare Katie." She held her chin up, defiantly staring the vampire down.  
>"And what did you have to give her in return?" Naomi challenged, crossing her arms over her chest. She knew Sophia all too well. She never did anything for anyone if it wouldn't benefit her in some way. She got her answer as Emily rubbed at her neck.<br>"You can't feed on me. That was our deal."  
>"But she can, right?" Naomi's eyes grew dark with jealousy. She understood that Emily was trying to protect her twin, but it felt like she was slowly losing her girlfriend. She closed her eyes and let out a heavy sigh before opening them again. "Just be careful, Ems. Please?" The smaller girl nodded as she stepped forward and wrapped her arms around the blonde.<p>

"Where's Katie?"  
>"She's safe." Naomi reassured her as they started walking again, her hand slipping in to Emily's. "She's at mum's. Cook told me what you were up to…I know you'd do anything for Katie, but if Sophia realises that then she'll use it against you Ems. She'll exploit it." Emily didn't argue with her. She knew she was right. They made their way back to Naomi's, where Emily was happy to change in to her pyjamas. Once she was changed she went back downstairs to face her twin. When she declared that Rosenberg was dead Katie flung herself in to her arms and began sobbing.<p>

"And what deal did you have to make?" Gina quizzed as she scrutinized the little redhead. She wasn't happy with her. "What did his death cost you, Emily?" Cook shoved his hands in to his pockets, staring at the floor as the others stared at Emily. Katie's eyes widened as the implication of Sophia's intervention finally dawned on her.  
>"What did you do?" All eyes in the room were suddenly on her as she shrugged her slender shoulders, she felt her shorts rubbing against the bite mark on the inside of her thigh and her cheeks burned with shame.<br>"It doesn't matter. Katie's safe..."  
>"It matters Emily." Naomi let out a heavy sigh. "You've made a deal once; she'll find a way to make you do it again! She knows she can use Katie against you! She won't stop!" Naomi<br>"She was never going to stop anyway, Naomi! She wants to turn me and she's not going to stop until she does!"

"So why not beat her to it?" Katie spoke up, stunning the others. "She wants to turn Ems to make a point, to hurt our family… If one of you turns her first then it will be Emily's choice, right?"  
>"She doesn't want that Katie." Naomi answered for her as Emily stared wide eyed at her sister, unable to process what she had just suggested. Katie frowned and looked at Naomi like she was simple.<br>"Naomi's right…it's not about _who _turns me. I don't _want_ to be turned Katie. I don't want that for my life."

"But…you'll get old, and we…we won't be the same anymore. You'll die…" Her lip quivered as she stared at her twin, forgetting about the other people in the room. "You can't leave me Ems, you can't! And what about Naomi? I thought you fucking loved her or something!" She snapped, hurt by Emily's rejection but trying to deflect it on to Naomi. Every day that Emily aged was going to pull the twins further and further apart as Katie remained frozen in time; seventeen forever, while Emily would slowly age and eventually die.

"I do." Emily felt her cheeks burning as Naomi scrutinised her from the other side of the room. "But I'm _seventeen_ Katie! I've barely known Naomi three months…that's not enough time to _throw _my entire life away…I'm sorry, but it's not." She added as she turned to the blonde vampire with wide pleading eyes. She wasn't rejecting her, Naomi had to understand that. She just couldn't be a vampire. She couldn't allow herself to become one of them. She'd fought too hard to just give in.

"I get it." Naomi replied, though her words were choked and the fact that she couldn't look Emily in the eye wasn't very reassuring. She was far older and wiser than Katie though; she understood just how long eternity was and couldn't blame Emily for not diving headfirst in to oblivion; given the choice Naomi would never have chosen to be turned, so she wouldn't force that choice on to Emily. "Right now Sophia isn't our biggest problem though; we still need to worry about Katie. Rosenberg might be dead, but that doesn't mean the council will just let her live. We need to appeal to them, to Marcus." She shot her mother a meaningful look, knowing she had a lot of influence on the leader of the Vampire High Council.  
>"Actually our biggest problem is telling mum." Emily groaned and Katie nodded in agreement. No one in the room was looking forward to that.<p> 


	29. Chapter 29

**A/N:**Sorry it's taken ridiculously long for me to update! I've had other fics to work on and a pretty hectic couple of months at work.

"How you feeling?" Emily probed as she and Katie slowly walked up their street, dragging their heels as they approached their house. It was still early in the morning and neither girl had been home all weekend. Their mother would kick off with them long before they could open their mouths to explain what had happened.  
>"Hungry." Katie grumbled as she wrapped her arms around herself. She'd had some more pig's blood before they'd left Naomi's house, but as a fledgling her thirst would be insatiable. Her eyes were red from crying and framed by deep dark circles; she looked like hell. "And terrified." She admitted as she stopped abruptly at the end of their drive. Emily took her hand and squeezed it reassuringly as the front door opened.<br>"Would it have killed you two to give us a phone call?" Rob Fitch snapped as he swiped the paper up from the doorstep and glared at his daughters. It was the wrong choice of words as Katie broke down in tears again. Rob's expression instantly changed as he rushed out of the house and over to his eldest child. "What happened? Are you hurt? Was it a boy?" Rob was frantic as he took hold Katie's shoulders and checked her over for injuries.  
>"Dad…" Emily tried to answer, but his attention was fixed on his sobbing daughter who couldn't form a single word. Emily began to tear up herself as Katie collapsed in to her father's arms, burying her face against his broad shoulder.<br>"What's happened luv? Tell your dad-"

"Rob…" Their uncle Samuel stood at the front door, his arms crossed over his chest and his eyes narrowed on his oldest niece. "I'd back away if I were you, slowly."  
>"What are you on about- OW!" Rob recoiled away from his daughter as her fangs sunk in to his neck, ripping open the flesh.<br>"Katie!" Emily screamed at the same time as Samuel darted out of the door, pulling Katie away from Rob. Her mouth was smeared with blood and her eyes were wild and unfocused as she struggled to get free from Samuel's grip. Rob held a hand to his still bleeding neck as he stared up at his oldest daughter; his little princess.  
>"Katie?" His voice cracked as tears ran down his cheeks. "What happened to my baby?"<br>"Rosenberg. He thought she was me and he tried to kill her. Katie cut him and some of his blood got in her…" Emily answered as Katie fell still against Samuel, the horror of what she'd just tried to do to her own father finally hitting her. The dead vampire's name left a bitter taste on Emily's tongue.

"He's dead." She added as she watched Rob ball his fists up. "Katie is too if we can't talk the Council around."  
>"Rosenberg turned many." Samuel nodded in agreement as he kept a firm grip on Katie's arm and led her towards the house. Rob followed behind them at a snail's pace, his eyes glued to the young woman who had once been his little girl. He jumped as Emily slipped her hand in to his, squeezing it like she had with Katie earlier.<br>"It'll be ok Dad."  
>"No, it won't luv." Rob wiped at his eyes, he had never cried in front of his girls before. "This is my fault! I should have killed Rosenberg the other week! And I should have <em>made <em>her train harder! I shouldn't have given her a choice-"  
>"She's alive <em>because <em>of you Dad! She's alive because she used what you taught us. She fought him… She needs you to be strong for her right now. She's scared and confused and she needs her dad…we both do." Emily broke down again as Rob wrapped his arms around her.  
>"Your mum's going to kill me." Rob sighed as they finally pulled apart and headed in to the house. A piercing scream from inside announced that Jenna Fitch had just discovered what had happened to her eldest child.<p>

In the hours that followed there was more sobbing and screaming than the average episode of _Jeremy Kyle._By the time night fell the family had calmed down somewhat and Katie sat curled up on the sofa with her mother. She'd managed to keep her fangs to herself. Emily sat on the floor by the living room door; a million miles away as she only half listened to Samuel and her father talking about how they would approach the Council to petition for Katie's life. She was still thinking about everything that had happened with Sophia the previous night. She'd had no choice but to go to the older vampire for help, but in doing so she'd made a dangerous arrangement with her that had effectively turned her in to a walking meal. She understood why Naomi was mad at her for doing it, but faced with the same choice over she would do it again. Katie meant the world to her; she would do anything to protect her twin, even if it meant risking her own life.

"Katie shouldn't go to the Council; if the verdict goes against us we won't have a chance to get her away." Samuel stated the obvious, but Rob shook his head in disagreement.  
>"If she doesn't show up they'll know we're hedging our bets and they'll condemn her straight away. We need to show we trust them-"<br>"Trust them?" Jenna spat, her accent thick and her voice dripping with contempt. "The Council are a joke! Murderers and monsters the lot of them! I'm not leaving my baby's fate in their hands! We run and we do it now!"  
>"Jenna-" Rob sighed, knowing how strongly his wife felt about vampires and the council that governed them.<br>"She might be right." Samuel surprised them all by agreeing with Jenna. "Katie's a hunter's daughter; it might be seen as favouritism if the council allows her to live. Marcus may sentence her to death to make a point. Jenna should take the children out of the city, maybe even the country. Rob and I can-"  
>"I'm not going anywhere." Emily was finally pulled out of her daze as she realised they were going to try and ship her off. "I witnessed Rosenberg die, I can speak for Katie-"<p>

"You were there?" Rob hadn't asked about how the vampire who had attacked his daughter had died, he'd been too shocked to think to ask, but with the initial shock wearing off he finally had more questions for his youngest daughter.  
>"I went to Sophia and asked her to kill him for me-"<br>"How could you be so stupid?" Just as Emily had never seen her dad cry before, she had never seen him so angry either. "Have you forgotten what she's done to you? What she _wants _to do? Do you think this is a game Emily? Do you think I want to lose_ another_daughter?" His cheeks were red with anger and his fists were shaking because he was clenching them at his side so hard. Emily felt her own anger rising as she got to her feet to shout back at him. Katie spoke up before she could though and the room fell deathly silent.

"You didn't lose me, Dad." Her eyes were wide and one again brimming with tears as she looked between her parents. She was a dangerous predator capable of drinking a man dry, but as she sat there sobbing she looked more vulnerable than Emily had ever seen her. "I'm not dead."  
>"No, you're not luv. I didn't mean- Emily!" Rob had turned his back on his youngest for just a second and she had taken the opportunity to slip out of the door. He chased after her, but he heard the sound of her moped revving in to life before he'd even reached the front door. "You get back here right now!"<br>"Get Mum to take Katie somewhere safe, I'll meet you and Samuel at the Council in an hour!" She ignored her father's protests as she sped off on the moped.

It didn't take her long to get to where she was going and when she pounded on Naomi's front door she promptly opened it. "Ems, is everything-"Emily didn't let her finish her question as she crushed their lips together in a searing kiss. It felt like it had been ages since they'd shared such a passionate embrace, and Naomi was in no hurry for it to end as she pulled the smaller girl inside. She closed the door behind them by pushing Emily up against it as her hands found the smaller girl's waist. They only pulled apart as Gina appeared at the kitchen door and cleared her throat to get their attention. Emily blushed and offered the older blonde a sheepish hello as she untangled herself from her daughter. The pair followed Gina back in to kitchen while she put the kettle on.  
>"How's Katie luv?"<p>

"Mum and Dad took it about as well as we expected." Emily sighed. She stood at the door with Naomi's arms wrapped protectively around her waist. It felt nice, like things were back to the way they had been before she'd discovered that Naomi was a vampire. She wished they could have just said goodnight to Gina, gone upstairs and climbed in to Naomi's bed for the rest of the night; but she still had Katie to think about. "We're going to appeal to Marcus and the Council tonight…I was wondering whether you and Naomi could help? Maybe speak on her behalf?" Naomi had hinted that Gina was close to the head of the Vampire High Council and as far as Emily was concerned Katie needed all the help she could get.  
>"Of course." The older blonde replied, though her smile was a little strained as she shared a look with Naomi. "Marcus and I are old friends." Given that Marcus was thought to be the oldest vampire in existence Emily was willing to bet they were <em>very<em> old friends. As Gina went upstairs to let Kieran know where they would be going it left the two girls alone in the kitchen. Emily sighed as she turned to face Naomi and cuddled in to her.  
>"I've missed you…I've missed us."<p>

"Me too." Naomi mumbled in to her hair, her tone was sincere but Emily could tell she was preoccupied.  
>"It doesn't mean anything…Sophia feeding off me. It's just blood." She tried to put on a front and act like her deal with Sophia really didn't mean anything, but neither girl could ignore the elephant in the room. Naomi cupped the smaller girl's chin, tilting her head back as she leant in for a gentle kiss. She wore a sad smile on her quivering lips.<br>"We're vampires Emily, blood is everything."

* * *

><p>"Where are we going, mum?" Katie had been sitting in silence in the front seat of her mother's car for almost an hour before she finally asked where they were headed. Almost as soon as Emily had walked out the door Jenna had kicked in to action, packing a couple of bags and throwing them in the boot of the car before bundling Katie and James in to the car. They'd broken most of the speed limits getting on to the motorway and had managed to put quite a bit of distance between themselves and Bristol in a single hour. Jenna's knuckles were white from gripping the steering wheel so hard and the usually calm and collected woman seemed entirely dishevelled. She couldn't bring herself to turn and look at her oldest daughter and they both knew why. Katie was one of the creatures Jenna and her family had devoted their entire lives to killing. The only oblivious one in the car was James, who had been kept in the dark about his big sister's transformation. He sat in the back with his PSP pressed under his nose. Jenna glanced at him in the rear-view mirror before answering.<br>"We're going to stay with your Nan for a few days."

"What about school?" James piped up from the back. He wasn't particularly fussed about missing school; he was just fishing for an explanation to their sudden departure from the house.  
>"Nan's not well, so we're going to look after her for a few days."<br>"Why isn't Emily here? Why does she get out of it?"  
>"She's got an exam tomorrow." Katie lied. They wouldn't be able to keep him in the dark forever, but they could try and shield him from what had happened for as long as they could.<br>"That's right." Jenna nodded, her gaze still fixed on the road ahead. Their Nan, Jenna's mother, lived in Glasgow and it would take half the night to get there; Katie could already feel her hunger rising in the pit of her stomach. She would need to stop and feed at some point. Samuel had filled a hot flask of blood for her, but she couldn't exactly pull it out in front of James. She didn't think her mother could stomach watching her drink it either. Katie herself still felt queasy at the thought of drinking blood again. The part of her mind that hadn't accepted the change still recoiled at the thought of feeding on human blood, but she knew the second the blood flowed over her lips she would devour every last drop.

She had expected blood to taste foul, yet when she'd sank her fangs in to Effy the other girl's blood had been like an explosion of taste on her tongue. It was tangy yet sweet and quite easily the most delicious thing Katie had ever tasted. The blood bags Samuel had given her to feed from had paled in comparison. She felt a different hunger growing inside of her at the thought of the other girl. It was hard for young vampires to separate their cravings; Blood, lust, love and sex typically rolled in to one overwhelming desire.

Katie took out her phone and stared at it as she tried to think of what to say to Effy. '_Sorry I tried to kill you' _seemed a little inadequate. She wouldn't even be able to speak to her properly in the car with her mum and James, so she'd have to settle for a text. How was she supposed to convey everything that was boiling up inside of her in a text? She sighed as she let her nimble fingers loose on the keys of her phone.

'I'll be back soon. Love you, K xxx.' It was the best she could manage and Effy understood the sentiment. A small smile crept its way on to Katie's lips as her phone went off, signalling a message from Effy. The other girl had never been one to waste words and her reply was just as short as Katie's message. It said more than enough.

'I know. Stay safe. Love you back xxx.'

Katie slumped back in her seat, watching the endless fields flanking the motorway whizz past her. If the Council decided she couldn't be allowed to live then she would never be safe again. She would have to run a lot further than Glasgow to escape them. 

* * *

><p>"The decision has been made." Marcus Caecus was a large and imposing man, the size of a small house. In his previous life he had been a soldier of the Roman army, stationed in Britain during the Emperor Hadrian's visit in the early second century. He was the oldest known vampire in existence, and as such he sat at the head of the Vampire High Council, the ruling body of the vampires composed of the three oldest vampires. It wasn't known who had turned Marcus, though the rumours went that a Celtic beauty had stolen his heart and drained him dry; she'd then turned him out of guilt. "Rachael Adler was the last legitimately turned childe of the vampire James Rosenberg. All other offspring are a direct violation of the Treaty of Brixton and are sentenced to be eliminated…Katherine Fitch is no different, and the council hereby issues the warrant for her death…"<p>

The warehouse that housed the council meetings erupted in to chaos as the gathered vampires and humans either agreed or disagreed with the verdict. All vampires and hunters were invited to attend Council meetings, though with the meeting being called at such short notice there were less than three dozen people in the warehouse; most were locals and vampires. The few hunters that were there had all known Katie and Emily since they'd been born and had watched the twins grow up. They were not happy at Markus' verdict. "You're just making an example out of her because she's a hunter's kid!" One of the older hunters snarled, he was an embittered old man in his late sixties and had been one of the finest hunters in his time; he had also been a close friend to Jenna's father and the twins knew him as Uncle Hugh.  
>"The law is the law! It can't be bent for one hunter!" A vampire sitting on the other side of the room objected. He was a weedy little man who looked more like an accountant than a vampire and if Emily had a stake on her she would have been happy to drive it through his chest; it was probably a good thing she didn't as the incident could have sparked a war. The peace between vampires and hunters had always been strained at best and the tension in the room was mounting as Rob stood up to address the council.<p>

"With all due respect Markus, this _is_ different. Rosenberg is dead, you have the power to let my daughter live in his please. I'm not asking as a hunter…I'm asking as a father, please?" Emily sat squeezing Naomi's hand as she watched Markus mulling over her father's words. The council had not been happy at Katie's absence to start with and things had been going steadily downhill.  
>"There's no proof my maker is dead!" Rachael Adler stood up to object. She was a young blonde woman with an ample chest and Emily could guess why James had turned her.<br>"I saw him die myself!" Emily had held her tongue for long enough and stood up to address the council herself. She'd already given her testimony to Markus, but it was clear no-one believed her.  
>"So you say." Markus' cold dark gaze settled on the tiny teenager. "I find it hard to believe that <em>Sophia <em>of all people would kill one of her own to help a hunter. Her feelings on the treaty are well known. You say she killed him to protect you, why would she do that?"

"Because Emily is mine." A hush fell over the crowd as Sophia appeared out of thin air. She'd slipped in among the crowd undetected and had been silently watching the scene play out. With all eyes on her she made her way to the front of the warehouse and up on to the low stage where the three council members sat. The other two vampires on the council were less than half of Markus' age and one of them, Arianne, was his own childe. She regarded Sophia with disdain as she stood in front of her. The other woman had replaced Sophia's maker Jonas on the council when he'd been killed by Emily's grandfather. There had never been any love lost between the two of them, but Arianne's hatred of Sophia was nothing compared to Markus'.  
>"Sophia, so glad you could join us." He forced a smile on to his lips as he addressed her, but his gaze was hard as stone as he tried to stare her down. "I wasn't aware you'd made claim on the young Fitch."<p>

"Well that's why I'm here Markus, to make it clear that Emily Fitch is off limits to _any_ vampire." Her eyes landed on Naomi as her lips curled in to a smirk and Emily felt Naomi stiffen beside her. "Poor James didn't fathom that out in time and unfortunately I had to separate his heart from his chest."  
>"You fucking bitch!" Rosenberg's childe, the busty blonde erupted as she shot out of her seat and used her speed to appear on the stage in the blink of an eye. She intended to avenge her maker's death, but Sophia was too strong for her and she sent the blonde flying off the stage as though she was batting away an irritating fly. Rachel landed on a group of vampire sitting by the stage, who grumbled but had more sense than to challenge Sophia about it. Emily began to feel an odd mixture of excitement and cold dread washing over her as she realised just how much pull she had amongst the vampires. She really could help her save Katie; but at the same time Emily couldn't help wondering whether anyone could save <em>her <em>from Sophia.  
>"Rosenberg attacked my property; I was within my right to kill him. As the taker of his life I request that Katie Fitch's life be spared in exchange."<p>

"That's all very well, but the council have made their decision-" Markus started, but was cut off by Gina, who finally spoke up on Katie's behalf.  
>"Perhaps the council might want to reconsider, given Sophia's testimony?" She wore her usual friendly smile, but there was a strength to her tone that demanded the attention of the room. Markus looked visibly shaken, as though Gina had just declared her intentions to stake him in public.<br>"We cannot make exceptions simply because the girl is-" Markus tried again but was interrupted by Naomi this time.  
>"I challenge the council's decision!"<br>"On what grounds?" Markus growled, irritated by such a public challenge of his authority. Everyone knew the other two members of the council were just his puppets, _he _was effectively the council.  
>"On the grounds that my maker is older than both Arianne and George." George, the third member of the council, had previously been a knight in the court of Henry VIII. He was a quiet man who looked bored by the proceedings, but sat up straight in his chair as his position was challenged.<p>

The room fell silent as both the vampires and hunters looked between Markus and Naomi. Every last person in the room knew that Gina was older than them. Though none of them knew exactly how old she was, it was rumoured that she was almost as old as Markus himself. When the council had first been formed it had been chaired by Markus, Jonas and Gina, but her views on abstaining from human blood had left her ostracised from the vampire community for many years. A lot of vampires who were pro-abstinence wanted her back on the council and Markus knew it. His eyes narrowed on the older blonde, as though waiting for her to make her challenge. It was Sophia who spoke up though.  
>"As am I. Perhaps it's time Gina and I took our place on the council?" She dropped her voice as she leant in low to whisper in Markus' ear. "Imagine how hard it would be for you to get anything done then? With Gina wanting to save every last human and me wanting to kill them?"<br>"I've made my position clear." Gina caught the attention of the room again as she spoke. "I don't want to be part of this council and I am happy that Arianne and George are more than qualified to sit on the council, I would like to ask a favour of an old friend…honour Sophia's request and spare Katie's life."

The older vampire wrestled with the decision for a few moments as he weighed up the humiliation of publicly relenting against the horror of having his puppet councillors replaced. "Very well." He sighed and the hunters erupted in to cheers, led by an overjoyed Rob Fitch. "But let it be known that the girl is under no special privileges. She will obey our laws just as every other vampire does and if not her death warrant will be issued and carried out by this council." Happy that he had managed to save face Markus dismissed the meeting with a wave of his hand as he rose from his chair.

Emily felt her legs almost give way with relief as the decision sunk in. Luckily Naomi's strong arms were wrapped around her, holding her up. "We did it, we really did it!" She grinned and crushed her lips against the blonde's. "Thank you, so much." She turned to Gina to give her a hug before she flung her arms around her dad. She failed to spot Naomi slipping off and heading to find Markus.

Rob laughed as he spun her around like she was still a little girl. "We did it kiddo!"  
>"Congratulations." Rob froze as Sophia joined them. He stood in front of his daughter, his muscular frame defending her like a brick wall as his eyes narrowed on the vampire who had caused his family so much pain and heartache. He surprised them all by offering her his hand. Sophia looked at his hand like it was a snake poised to attack her before she slowly took it. Rob nodded at her, his jaw clenched tight. "I appreciate what you've done for Katie…but I know what you're planning for Emily. You try and turn her and I will <em>end <em>you."  
>"You'll try." Sophia shot back with a smirk. "Nice to see you again Emily, we'll have to do lunch soon." She threw the smaller girl a wink before strutting off.<br>"I'm not a great believer in violence." Gina declared as she narrowed her eyes on the younger vampire as she walked across the warehouse. "But I should have killed that girl a long time ago." Half of Emily agreed with her; but the other half acknowledged that without Sophia, her twin would be dead.

At the back of the warehouse Naomi caught up to Markus. He was flanked by other vampires who guarded him, though as old as he was there were few people, either hunter or vampire, who were a danger to him. She asked for a private word and he dismissed his entourage. "I'm sorry that I had to do that, but Emily means a lot to me. I had to help her sister. I promise Katie won't put a foot out of line, I'll help her-"  
>"Naomi, do excuse me, but I've seen the product of you rearing a childe. If Cook is any indication to go by then I think the best thing you could do is let Gina help the Fitch girl." The younger vampire felt her anger bubbling up as Markus dismissed her so flippantly. He had issues with Gina and he took them out on her childe.<br>"Well we both know how good a mother she is…don't we _brother_?" She challenged and watched as the blood drained from his face. He hastily looked around to check no one had overheard her before he stepped in close and growled at her.  
>"You'd do well to keep your mouth shut!Lest you forget the last <em>favour <em>I performed for Gina was sparing your life the last time you fell of the wagon and almost bled a girl dry!"

Few people knew the truth about Markus and Gina. Many presumed that he was Gina's maker, and that was the way Markus liked it. If anyone knew that Gina was in fact the vampire who had turned him then he could lose his position as head of the council. Gina was far older than anyone realised. She had been born in Britain around 86AD and had lived among her people in a small village in the North. Gina had never told Naomi how she herself had become a vampire, she rarely spoke about her early life with Markus and Jonas and Naomi had never pushed her to talk about it.

Markus was a narcissist who enjoyed being vampire royalty and to lose his power would be a terrible blow to his inflated ego. Naomi wasn't fazed by his outburst. She had her own trump card to play. Gina had shared enough with her over the years to give her some leverage.  
>"I wonder if Sophia would spare <em>your<em> life if she knew you were the one who had her maker killed?" Markus glared at the younger blonde and if looks could kill then Naomi would have been reduced to a pile of smouldering ash on the floor. He didn't know just how much she knew about what had happened to Sophia's maker Jonas, or how the treaty had really come about. "You were working with Emily's grandfather years before the treaty happened. You gave him help to kill vampires, vampires that threatened _your_authority, and Jonas was one of them. Mum turned him the same year she turned you, which made him your equal…except she loved him more. It killed you, didn't it? Always coming second best to him?" Naomi added the last part, twisting the knife in deeper as she watched Markus seethe in front of her.

"Jonas was a sadistic murderer who tortured his victims for the hell of it. He stood against the progress our kind needed to make…His death helped build the treaty which keeps our kind at peace with the humans today! I did what I did out of necessity!" Markus tried to defend himself, but they both knew he had acted out of his selfish desire to have Gina to himself; even though she'd rejected them both centuries earlier. It had been her rejection that had sparked Jonas to reject everything she had taught him about living in harmony with the humans and had turned him in to the twisted killer he had eventually become. He had brought Sophia up to be the same and then Sophia had passed that wisdom on to Naomi and Cook. For decades the four of them had slaughtered the innocent to feast on their blood and live on their riches. It had been a dark time in Naomi's long life and she was happy to keep the full extent of it hidden from Emily. Markus changed his tact as he smoothed out his voice and put a firm hand on Naomi's shoulder. His hands were wide and cracked from centuries of wielding a sword. "I spared the Fitch girl's life…We have no reason to squabble little sister; and we each have our secrets to keep."


	30. Chapter 30

**A/N: So I suck at updating lately, I've been pretty run down with work so instead of staying up till stupid o'clock in the morning to write (which is when I do most of my writing) I've actually been sleeping. I was planning on getting this chapter posted in time for Halloween, but I had work so it's a few hours overdue. Also realised it was last Halloween that I actually started writing this, so a big thanks to everyone who's still reading and for all the great feedback people have left. This is my longest fic to date and there's still a pretty big chunk of the story to go :)**

"We won." Emily let out a little sigh as she lay on her side, watching the blonde lying beside her. They had slept all day after the Council meeting and Emily had only just woken after dark to find Naomi already awake beside her. A great weight seemed to have been lifted from her young shoulders and she looked more at ease than Naomi had seen her in months. "I mean, Sophia still wants to turn me, Katie's still a vampire and my parents are barely speaking to each other…but we won. Katie gets to live. Thanks to you." A loving smile formed on the smaller girl's lips as she cuddled in close to Naomi and pressed a kiss to her cheek. Their relationship had been rocky at best for weeks and Sophia's interference certainly hadn't helped, but as Naomi's arms slipped around the redhead, pulling her on top of her, she had hope that things were finally sorting themselves out. Like Emily said; they had won. It had been a small victory in the grand scheme of things, but Katie was alive and that was enough.

"Is Katie coming home tomorrow?" Naomi quizzed, trying to show that she was taking an interest in her girlfriend's twin's welfare, but Emily shushed her with a long lingering kiss. Katie, James and Jenna had stayed up in Scotland with Jenna's mother and were due back the next afternoon, though from what Emily had told her Naomi was pretty sure that half of the Fitches weren't speaking to each other. Jenna blamed Rob and Rob blamed himself, but the blonde knew Emily had taken on the guilt as her own. Rosenberg had been intending to go for Emily after all; Katie had simply become collateral damage.

Katie herself apparently hadn't spoken to anyone after arriving at her gran's house, except for a few texts to Effy. She never answered when any of them called though and Naomi didn't have to imagine what she was going through. She had been turned without her consent and she knew all too well how hard the transition to vampire could be on such a young mind. She would have reached out to Katie, offered her a shoulder to cry on, had she not been so certain that the older twin would have refused it. The Fitch women were notoriously stubborn and independent, which was why Emily kept trying to handle everything on her own. If she'd just gone to Naomi about Katie and Rosenberg in the first place then she wouldn't be stuck as a human blood bag for Sophia. The older vampire would use it to her advantage and Naomi worried that if Sophia ever 'accidentally' took too much while feeding and ended up having to turn Emily without her consent, then she would get away with it since it was common knowledge that Sophia had a claim on her.

"No talking." Emily bit at her lip as she leant in for another kiss and Naomi barely strangled the growl that built up in her throat. Since feeding on human blood again, though admittedly in small quantities, Naomi had felt her predatory instincts returning. The world around her was sharper to her eyes and the sound of Emily's wildly beating heart was amplified as though it came from a surround sound system. She felt like she had been living the last three decades submerged under water, living on pig's blood that left her senses dulled almost to those of a human. Emily's blood had been partly responsible for awaking her true self again and it was a struggle not to sink her fangs in to the sweet, soft flesh of the other girl's neck.

Emily was oblivious as she kissed her way down the blonde's neck and pushed up the T-shirt that she'd worn to bed. Her teeth scraped at the sensitive flesh of Naomi's breast as her lips caressed it at the same time and the blonde felt her resolve fading. Her hands found Emily's hair and tangled through it, pulling a little harshly as Emily's tongue flicked across her hardening nipple. "Ems…" Naomi gasped and in an instant she was on the other side of the room, pulling her top down and running a hand through her hair in frustration. The younger girl still lying on her bed looked hurt by her reaction. She had been making an effort to rebuild things between the two of them and Naomi had practically run away from her. "Sorry. Hungry. Don't want to…" Naomi growled out like each word physically pained her.

She was not used to controlling herself when on a diet of human blood. It had always been all or nothing with her, either no human blood what so ever, or an endless unrestricted supply. Restraint was something she was slowly learning and she didn't want to jeopardise her efforts by getting lost in the moment and ripping open Emily's throat.  
>"Sorry." Emily blushed and apologised, like it was her fault Naomi was looking at her like she was a human Happy Meal. Naomi felt guilty at that, Emily had enough on her plate without blaming herself for the blonde's shortcomings.<br>"I just need to feed, and then we can…" She trailed off, her eyes becoming glued on the throbbing pulse in the smaller girl's neck. "I need blood. Right now." There'd been no time to feed the previous day and after spending the day in bed, Naomi's hunger was almost choking her. She needed to feed before she did something stupid, like hurt Emily; again.

"I'd offer, but…" Emily felt helpless, not being able to offer her girlfriend the sustenance she needed so badly, but her agreement with Sophia prevented her from allowing any other vampire to feed from her.  
>"Cook told me about this blood club." Naomi tried not to crinkle her nose at the thought of going to the club Cook had told her about. She had never really enjoyed feeding from the type of willing donors that attended blood clubs. They tended to be overeager Anne Rice fans in heavy gothic make up; though Cook had cheerfully informed her that since the advent of <em>Twilight, <em>the clubs attracted more middle class teenage girls that blindly thought they would find their un-dead soul mates in the seedy blood farming nightclubs. "I shouldn't be more than a couple of hours-"  
>"I'll come with you." Emily suggested, already getting off the bed and heading towards the shower. "I won't take long to get ready and I could use a drink."<br>"Ems, that's not a good idea. You're human and a hunter-"  
>"And under Sophia's protection. No one's going to touch me."<p>

The way Emily flippantly mentioned Sophia's claim on her angered the blonde a little bit, but she kept it to herself, wanting to avoid yet another argument. She knew Emily wasn't trying to flaunt it in her face, she was just pointing out that she had protection. Luckily it didn't take them long to get ready to leave and within an hour they were standing outside the blood club that Cook had recommended. He was waiting out front for them. The nightclub appeared like any other club on the outside. It was an old converted Victorian building in a quieter part of the city centre and there was no sign to indicate what it was. The two heavyset bouncers outside the door looked like any other hired doormen, but Emily could tell they were vampires just by looking at them. They stood too still for humans; vampires didn't need to breath and didn't tend to fidget like humans did, so it was sometimes easy for a trained eye to spot them. The bouncers eyed Emily back with weary expressions. The Fitches were well known as hunters, and she had a feeling that whatever was going on in the club didn't meet the standards agreed in the Treaty between the vampires and the hunters. Though the standards weren't very high. Donors had to be over eighteen and willing.

"ID?" One of them, a burly gorilla of a man with no neck and a shaved head, stopped Emily at the door and she got the impression that he was putting on a show for her. She hesitated to pull out her provisional driving license for him, which would show she was still only seventeen and would guarantee she was rejected from entering. Emily wasn't exactly excited by the prospect of going in to the blood donor club, but she wanted to be there to support Naomi; and also keep a careful eye on her.  
>"She's with me big man." Cook thankfully stepped up and clapped the gorilla on the shoulder as he ushered Emily in with a hand on the small of her back.<br>"You have some clout here then?" Emily's eyes narrowed on Cook as he led her through the front door and down a dimly lit corridor which led to a flight of stairs. There was a small reception desk with a paled faced young woman standing behind it. She was human, yet she wore vintage clothes and had her hair styled like she was stuck in the 1920s. Emily stopped just short of the desk, waiting for Naomi to take her hand. She felt like a lamb walking to the slaughter as Cook grinned at her.

"I'm good friends with the owner." He winked and it didn't take Emily long to connect the dots. Naomi wasn't far behind her.  
>"Sophia?" Naomi growled out, regretting listening to Cook. It was too late to go looking anywhere else for willing blood donors though, she was already starting to go out of her mind with hunger.<br>"How many clubs does she own?" Emily grumbled, she'd had quite enough of Sophia's last club; she didn't want to be in another one.  
>"A few. There's money to be made in them." Cook shrugged as he handed over his coat to the young woman at the reception. He flashed his fangs at her and she offered him a polite smile as she stamped his hand with a purple stamper.<br>"Why would vamps pay when they can get it free?" Emily quizzed, not sure how Sophia could be making much money from offerings willing donors.  
>"They don't pay. The humans do. There's a cover charge to get in, then they pay for overpriced watered down drinks and the vamps snack on them for free. It's win win Red. We vamps get fed, humans got their little thrill and Sophia makes money." Emily's lip curled in disgust as Cook spoke so candidly about exploiting the humans who attended the club. She was dreading what she would find when she descended the stairs and she wasn't sure the hunter in her could tolerate it.<p>

Naomi flashed her fangs at the attendant and received the same stamp. The pale young woman turned her attention to Emily with the same polite smile on her full red lips. With her thick dark curls and minimal makeup she pulled off the glamorous vintage look. Her skin was pale to the point of being almost translucent and she was clearly a donor herself. Emily wanted to shout at her to get out while she could. "Red or green sweetie?"  
>"Huh?" Emily wasn't aware of the code used in the blood clubs and wasn't sure how to respond. Purple clearly indicated a vampire, but she wasn't sure about the other colours.<br>"Green for go and red for stop." Cook informed her helpfully. "She'll have red Arianne; this is Emily Fitch and this here is my sire, Naomi Campbell."

Arianne's eyes widened in awe at the two girls and the politely forced smile turned in to a genuine one. "A pleasure to meet you both." Her eyes lingered on the redhead more than Naomi and though the woman was human Emily felt like she was being sized up. She took hold of Emily's wrist and placed a red stamper on the back of her hand, bearing the name of the club 'Sophia's'. "Enjoy your night." Emily felt her stomach turning at the sight of the red cursive lettering on her skin. Naomi took her hand again though and she found the strength to follow Cook down the flight of stairs. Cook linked his arm through hers as he opened the door at the bottom of the stairs and escorted her through.

The club was far different from what Emily had been expecting. It was nothing like Sophia's London dance club, even with its swanky VIP area. Walking in to the main room was like walking back in time. The club looked like some sort of '20s Jazz lounge. The large stage at the back of the room held a grand piano and was framed by red curtains. A Blonde woman who could pass as a Marilyn Monroe impersonator was crooning in to the microphone while an assortment of musicians stood behind her blowing in to saxophones and trumpets. The music was upbeat yet not overpowering and it made a change for Emily to be in a club and be able to hear herself think. There were tables in front of the stage dressed in crisp blood red tablecloths with candles in the centre and waiters buzzing around taking orders from the assortment of vampires and humans sitting at the tables.

Emily had expected some sort of grungy club with low lighting and loud music and for a moment she stood in shock as she took it all in. Despite it being a blood club she couldn't see a single vampire feeding, though the purple stamps identified at least half a dozen of them were sat at the tables with their human guests. Cook picked up on her astonishment and filled her in on the policy. "There's no feeding in the main bar, that door over there leads to private rooms. Everything's done in private and there are doormen checking for stamps. No vamp takes anyone back there with a red stamp." Emily had to admit she was quite impressed by the set up. Naomi didn't look too interested. She just looked plain hungry. That was why they had come after all.

"Why don't you go browse the menu, Naoms? I'll keep Red entertained." The blonde looked torn between satisfying her hunger and keeping an eye on Emily. Emily squeezed her hand and kissed her cheek, letting her know she would be ok with Cook. He could be a prick sometimes, but he wouldn't let anything happen to her. He called over one of the waiters, a young man with slicked back blonde hair, and asked him to take Naomi through to the private rooms. He looked more than happy to oblige. Cook ushered Emily to a table and pulled out a chair for her. Catching the attention of another waiter he ordered two Jack Daniels and cokes, which were promptly delivered. "How's Katie doing?" He asked as he picked up his drink and Emily sipped at her own.  
>"Better." Emily sighed, though Katie hadn't wanted to talk to her when she'd phoned earlier, she had contacted Effy and the other girl had reassured her that Katie was doing ok. "Thank you. For what you did for her. I really appreciate it."<p>

"Katie's a good kid." He shrugged at her like it was no big deal. "We'll all be family soon enough."  
>"She's not going to turn me, Cook." Emily clenched her jaw tightly as he smirked at her.<br>"Keep telling yourself that Emily…personally I don't see the problem. Eternal youth, no disease, no death, it's not a bad life Ems."  
>"Would you have chosen it?" Emily challenged him. "If Naomi had given you a choice?" Cook's expression took on a faraway look as he thought it over. His smirk changed to a genuine smile as he stared the teenager down.<br>"I wanted Naomi from the moment she walked in to the bar that night. I'd have done anything for her to give me the time of day. I was shipping off to join the war to get away from my life. I wanted out of it, and Naomi gave me that release. She gave me a choice I never knew I had."  
>"I'd never choose to become one of you!"<br>"Never say never Emily." He waggled his eyebrows at her in a practised move and Emily found herself laughing at him.

It had been a long time since she had spent any time with Cook. They had been good friends before Emily had found out he was a vampire. She'd been hurt when she'd found out Sophia had planted him to get close to her and she'd kept her distance ever since. In truth she missed spending time with him; she missed their nights out and even his endless flirting had held a certain charm, but things had changed too much for her to ever consider him a friend again.

In another part of the club, Naomi was also considering how things had changed. She sat in one of the private rooms that were used for feeding, though calling it a room was a bit of a stretch. It was more like a small booth, with just enough space for a padded loveseat. Naomi sat on the edge of the seat, nervously watching the waitress that Cook had sent her off with. The blonde was starving, but she just couldn't bring herself to bite the young woman who was patiently smiling at her from the other end of the seat. She'd never gone to a blood club and though Emily and Katie had both offered up their blood for her, it was a bit weird to be sitting there with the waitress waiting for her to sink her fangs in to her. She just couldn't do it and she found herself apologising as she headed for the door. "I'm sorry, I just can't do this. It's not you, it's me…" She paused as she opened it and found Sophia leaning against the door frame, she wore a cruel smile and had one arm draped over a tiny girl at her side. The girl was around Emily's height and that wasn't the only similarity. She had big brown eyes and shoulder length hair that was a deep crimson red.

Sophia used her free hand to push Naomi back in to the room and ushered the little redhead over to the loveseat. "Leave." Her tone was sharp as she addressed the waitress whom Naomi had been trying to flee from. She did as she was told and quickly fled from the room. "Having some performance issues?" Sophia teased as she slipped down on to the seat next to the little human girl and smirked up at the blonde. "I thought this one would be more to your taste." She pushed the girl's hair away from her neck, exposing the pale skin to Naomi's hungry gaze. She felt her fangs straining painfully against her gums and she hated herself for it. Hated that Sophia knew exactly what buttons to press.

She perched on the end of the tiny seat on the opposite side of Sophia and mirrored her actions by brushing the girl's hair away from her neck. She could hear the human's heart pounding in her chest, though it was from excitement not fear. The girl was definitely willing and Naomi couldn't fight her hunger any longer. She surged forward, sinking her exposed fangs in to the soft supple flesh of the girl's neck. The blood that rushed in to her mouth was sweet and tangy and Naomi couldn't get enough of it. Sophia watched silently and only intervened when the human's eyes began to close over. Naomi was taking too much. "Enough." Her voice was firm, but the blonde took no notice of her. Sophia had never told her to stop before. She had never cared about draining a human dry. "That's enough!" She pulled Naomi away from the gasping human by her hair. Naomi growled at her, frustrated by the sudden loss of the blood. Her chest was heaving from the effort of holding herself back from going for the girl again and as her blood lust began to clear Naomi realised just how close she had been to killing the tiny girl who looked so much like Emily.

She slumped on to the floor beside the loveseat and held her head in her hands as Sophia scooped up the human and took her outside. Naomi heard her speaking to one of her staff, telling them to take the girl off to rest and to make sure she ate something when she woke up. She was protecting her own interests of course; dead girls were definitely bad for business. Had they been on the street she would have happily let Naomi drain the girl dry. Returning to the room she closed the door behind her and knelt down beside Naomi. She reached out and ran a perfectly manicured finger across the blonde's chin, catching a stray drop of blood before bringing it to her own lips. "Mmmm, tasty. Nowhere near as delicious as Emily of course…" Sophia was goading her, trying to get a reaction. Well she got one as Naomi launched herself across the small room at her. For a second she had the upper hand and held her pinned down to the floor by her throat. Her nails were digging so hard in to the other girl's throat that she drew blood.

Sophia chuckled up at her, putting up no resistance as she lay on her back with the blonde straddling her and trying to choke the life out of her. "There's my girl." She choked out and Naomi instantly released her grip. Glaring at the older vampire she got to her feet and adjusted her clothing so she looked less dishevelled.  
>"I'm not yours anymore, Sophia. Remember?" She shot back with a growl. Sophia laughed again as she got to her feet and adjusted her own clothing.<br>"I do remember, Naomi." She closed the small distance between them and pressed her lips to her cheek. The blonde stood stock still, caught out by the unexpected intimacy. "I remember that glow on your cheeks and that fire in your eyes... You're looking more like yourself every day." She pulled away as Naomi just stood there staring at her and when she opened the door to leave the blonde caught sight of two more human girls standing outside. They entered as Sophia left and she smirked over her shoulder. "I'll go and keep Emily company, come find us when you're done."

She left the back area of the club and spotted Emily and Cook right away. They were sharing a joke and Emily's cheeks were rosy with laughter. The youngest Fitch twin was a gorgeous creature and since she'd started feeding on her Sophia could practically hear her blood singing to her from across the room. She stood unseen in a dark corner of the room and composed herself for a moment before heading over to the table. "Emily, if I'd known you were coming I would have skipped dinner." She purred as she slipped in to the empty seat beside Cook and looked the smaller girl up and down. "Though I'm sure I could always make room for dessert."

Emily's answering glare was full of hatred, though there was also a healthy dose of uncertainty and fear mixed in. She knew that if Sophia really did want to feed off her, then under the terms of their deal she was entitled to do so when she wished.  
>"Leave it out Soph, yeah? We're having a good time." Cook tried to sound casual as he picked up his glass from the table, but there was an edge to his voice and he was still clearly challenging the older vampire. Sophia thought about demanding to feed on Emily just for the hell of it, to assert her dominance as the eldest, but she quashed that instinct. Cook had grown close to the little human, and that was after all what she had asked him to do.<br>"Relax Cook; Emily knows I'm only teasing." She smiled, though the tension at the table was palpable.

Twenty minutes later they were sitting with a fresh round of drinks when Naomi joined them at the table. She stalked across the room, her eyes set on Emily. The redhead smiled up at her as Naomi took the empty seat beside her. She took her by surprise as she leant in and eagerly kissed the smaller girl, like they were alone at the table and not being watched by Sophia and Cook. The blonde's eyes were wide and focused as she pulled away, her entire body practically humming with energy. Emily had tasted the faintest trace of blood on her lips, but she pushed that aside. The blonde looked happy and almost carefree as she picked up Sophia's wine glass and helped herself to the contents. "I'm surprised you can manage another drop." Sophia smirked. She was surprised when Naomi met her gaze with an easy smile. Despite being almost giddy with the blood, she was relaxed at the same time and unfazed by Sophia's goading. It was easier to keep her temper in check when she wasn't craving blood.  
>"I've still got plenty of room…your round is it?"<p>

"Maybe we should go?" Emily suggested, apprehensive about staying at the club any longer. She'd had a nice enough evening with Cook, and even Sophia's company hadn't been insufferable, but she wanted to spend some time alone with Naomi. Katie would be home in the morning and she couldn't see herself getting much time alone with the blonde between babysitting her twin and feeding Sophia.  
>"Don't be a spoil sport Emily, it's early. Suzanne, some champagne please." Sophia clicked her fingers at one of the waitresses hovering near their table and the young woman snapped to attention. She rushed to the bar and returned with a bottle of expensive looking champagne and four glasses.<p>

The bubbly champagne went straight to Emily's head as the little human tried to keep up with the three vampires. They stayed at the club for another few hours and Emily was surprised that they all managed to get on and play nice as they drank and the vampires reminisced about old times. Naomi was relaxed and smiling as she sat with Emily cuddled in to her side. She had her arm around her and her fingers were idly tracing patterns in the small of her girlfriend's back. Her soft, teasing touch was having the desired effect on the other girl and Emily began fidgeting uncomfortably. "Can we go baby?" She murmured in to the blonde's ear as she pressed a kiss to the side of her neck. Sophia watched the pair from over the rim of her glass, and she didn't miss the pointed look Naomi shot her way before she turned her head to catch Emily's lips.  
>"Of course we can. I'll call a taxi." She kissed her cheek before pulling out her mobile and heading upstairs to get a signal to call for a taxi.<p>

"Been a good night, ay Red?" Cook grinned as he picked up his glass again. Though vampires had a faster metabolism than humans, which made it difficult for them to get drunk, Cook was definitely sloshed as he grinned at her. "We should do this more often." Emily couldn't deny it had been an ok night, and she was willing to try and give Cook another chance and let him back in to her life; but she didn't want to spend any more time with the older vampire than she had to. She spotted Naomi coming back down the stairs and got to her feet. Sophia stood up too, blocking her path.  
>"We could have an eternity of nights like these, Emily."<br>"One's enough, thanks." The smaller girl shot back, glaring up at Sophia with repulsion. "It'll take more than a few glasses of champagne to talk me in to being turned."  
>"So you can be talked in to it then?" Emily instantly regretted her choice of words as Sophia latched on to them like a dog with a bone. Her smug smirk was infuriating, and had they not been in the middle of the club (and if she'd had a genuine death wish) Emily would have been tempted to wipe it off her face. "Think about it Ems. Me, you, Naomi, Cook…Katie. We'd be one big happy family."<p>

"Ready to go?" Naomi wrapped a firm arm around Emily's waste as she stood by her side and stared Sophia down with a cold hard glare.  
>"Definitely." Emily sighed with relief as Naomi took her hand and led her back up the stairs and out of the club. The night air struck her and she wobbled on her feet, the champagne having left her more drunk than she had realised. Naomi's arm went back around her waist again and she wrapped her own arms around the blonde's neck before seeking out her lips. After a long and lingering kiss Emily pulled back a little and nipped at the other girl's jutting lower lip. "Now that you've fed…how about we pick up where we left off?" Emily's own lips curled up in a smirk as she heard the soft growl building up at the back of her girlfriend's throat. Naomi was definitely pleased with her idea.<p> 


	31. Chapter 31

"My head hurts." Emily grumbled as she rolled over in bed and buried her head under one of the pillows.  
>"Shouldn't have drank so much then, should you?" Naomi teased as she pulled the smaller girl closer to her and kissed her way down the column of her throat. She'd had her own fair share of alcohol the night before, but the metabolism of a vampire meant it was difficult to get drunk and hangovers were a rare occurrence. Though not impossible, she and Cook had shared a few.<br>"Not fair." The redhead mumbled in to the pillow. "I'm never drinking with vampires again! I think my liver's pickled."  
>"Take Katie's, it's not like she'll need it- Fuck, sorry that was probably a twat-ish thing to say. "<br>"It's fine." Emily sighed as she lay with her head on the blonde's chest. "She's alive, sort of. We'll get through this. She and mum should be back by now."

"Do you have to go?" Naomi's lips returned to her neck as her hands started tugging at the hem of the t-shirt Emily had worn to bed.  
>"Not right this second." The smaller girl giggled back, enjoying the feeling of the other girl's soft lips making their way up her neck and along her jaw. It felt like forever since they'd been able to spend the morning just lying in bed together without a care. Emily had four days until she was eighteen; four days where Sophia couldn't turn her and she wouldn't have to worry about being tricked or forced in to turning. She intended to make the most of them with the blue eyed beauty lying on top of her. Naomi finally reached her lips as her hand slipped between the redhead's legs.<p>

"For fuck's sake!" Emily growled as her phone started shrieking at her. She mumbled an apology to the blonde as she pulled herself free and rolled over to answer it. Emily was pretty sure her mother had some sort of radar that alerted her to whenever her youngest daughter was in a compromising position with the platinum haired vampire. "Hi mum…what? Wait, slow down…ok, ok. I'll check with Effy, she's probably gone there." Emily hung up with a heavy sigh and rolled on to her back, trying to savour just one more moment of tranquillity.  
>"What's wrong?" Naomi sat up on one elbow, scrutinising the tiny girl lying beside her.<br>"Katie's gone AWOL. They got back this morning and mum thought she was in her room. She's probably gone to see Effy."  
>"That could be dangerous for both of them." Naomi frowned, knowing just how hard it was for a new-born vampire to resist the blood of someone they held a close affinity for. Katie was already on thin ice with the Council. If she hurt Effy, or anyone else, Markus would have her head on a plate; literally.<br>"Tell me about it." Emily huffed as she got out of bed and started pulling her clothes on. She zipped up her jeans and then tied back her hair before pressing a soft kiss to the other girl's lips. "I'll stay over again tonight. We can finish what we started."  
>"I'll hold you to that Fitch."<p>

"Katie?" Effy stared at the tiny girl standing at her door. She was wearing a pastel pink dress with a matching bow in her long dark hair. She looked as harmless as a kitten, but Effy knew all too well that looks could be deceiving. It had only been a couple of days since the oldest twin had almost ripped her throat out. She seemed to have levelled out after her first day of being a vampire; at least she didn't look like she was about to take another go at ripping her girlfriend apart.  
>"Hey. Can I come in?" She sounded unusually nervous. The insecurity playing out across her face was not a familiar look for Katie <em>Fucking <em>Fitch. She was waiting for Effy to say something, to forgive her for what she had almost done and to invite her inside. Of course it was a myth that vampires _needed _an invite to cross the threshold of any home with a living owner. Katie didn't need an invitation to enter; all that would stop the vampire from forcing her way inside was the flimsy wooden door that Effy was half hidden behind. "I'm sorry about the other day…but I'm better now. I've got more control…" She babbled on until Effy stepped aside and gestured for her to enter.

Relief flooded through her as she managed a nervous smile and stepped inside. She'd barely put two feet in the door when Effy pushed her up against the wall, her lips crashing against the smaller girl's as her hands moved to her hips. Both girls were breathless by the time Effy finally pulled away, though only one of them actually needed to breath. "Don't ever run away from me." Effy sighed as she pressed her forehead against Katie's, savouring the feeling of the other girl's arms wrapped around her waist.  
>"I won't." Katie promised, her eyes filling up with tears as she choked back a sob. "I'm so sorry. I never meant to hurt you-" Effy cut off her apology with another kiss. She stared walking backwards, towards the stairs, and taking the smaller girl with her.<p>

"Eff, wait." Katie came to her senses with one foot on the stairs. "I know I said I was ready, and I _really _was, but things are different now…if I lose it for a second I could kill you!"  
>"Least I'd die smiling." Effy grumbled as she tried to tug Katie forward, but with the vampire digging her heels in she couldn't hope to move her even an inch, never mind up a flight of stairs.<br>"We can't Eff. I can't risk hurting you. I'm sorry, I know you've waited so long for me already-"  
>"Exactly. What's another few months; or maybe years?" Effy huffed a little flippantly, riling Katie's volatile temper.<br>"I'm trying to fucking protect you, not cock-block you!" She had expected the other girl to understand. She was risking everything just by going to see her to explain in person. Her parents and Samuel had both told her to stay away from her friends until she had her hunger under control; and Samuel had suggested it could take years. She couldn't return to college and she couldn't date a human. He'd made that very clear.

She had defied him to go and see Effy, to prove to herself that she could control her new found hunger around the girl she loved more than anything in the world; but she could feel her anger rising because of Effy's coldness. Her rage was churning in her stomach, like a big black ball of poison that was slowly seeping through her body. With the anger came hunger and she knew she'd made a mistake in going to see Effy in person. "Katie, wait!" Effy caught her wrist before she could turn towards the door. Her usual bored expression had been replaced by one of desperation and she tried to get her girlfriend to listen to her. "You don't understand…I can't wait years for you. I could be an old woman by the time you learn to control this." Her fingers absently stroked Katie's wrist, soothing the rage that had been building within her. Maybe they could have a chance?  
>"It won't be that long-" Katie tried but Effy cut her off with another kiss.<p>

Anger gave way to lust and the hunger inside of her grew even more as Katie pushed the other girl back against the stairs, straddling her hips as she fell down on to one of the steps. "I lied told you." Effy's words were like a shower of ice falling down on her and she came back to her senses as she sat back, scrutinizing her would-be-lover as she tried to process what she was talking about. Effy didn't keep her waiting long. Her confession poured out of her just as freely as her tears did. "The night you and Ems saved me from that vampire…he wasn't attacking me. I'd asked him to turn me. I wanted to be one of them so much, and when Cook came along it was perfect. He wanted to turn me and I wanted to let him…but then I fell for you, and you hated vampires so much that I couldn't go through with it. I couldn't have you hating _me._"  
>"Now I'm one of them." Katie's expression was dark and brooding and Effy couldn't quite read what she was thinking. She was silent for a while and Effy grew more unnerved with each passing second. Finally she looked Effy squarely in the eye. "And you're not."<br>"Not yet. If I stay human I'll grow old, or I'll get sick, either way I'm eventually going to die." In truth Effy had been sick for a while. Her eccentric behaviour and blasé attitude had grown from the knowledge that she could one day end up like her manic depressive grandmother; a deluded old woman with a tenuous grasp on reality. That kind of weakness terrified her. Her feelings for Katie had been the only thing stopping her from going through with Cook turning her; but with Katie being a vampire herself, there was nothing stopping Effy from asking to be turned. Her words were weighing heavily on the other girl who looked lost in her own thoughts. "You're too young to do it, but Cook can-"

A loud knock on the door made both girls jump and their serious gazes finally separated. Katie got back to her feet and pulled her dress back down in to place as Effy wiped at her eyes and got up to answer the door. "Emily. Naomi." She stepped aside to let them in and Emily stormed straight inside to accost her twin. Naomi held back though. She stared at Effy as though she were looking in to her very soul.  
>"Are you ok?"<br>"Yeah." She forced her head up high as she shrugged off the other girl's concern. "Katie just came over to end it. No big deal."  
>"What?" Emily snapped, abruptly ending the lecture she had just been giving her twin on endangering the people she cared about.<br>"I can't control what I am anymore. Effy's not safe around me, not like this." Katie thankfully picked up on Effy's thought process as she backed her up with the fake break up.  
>"It's for the best." Effy shrugged again, a few real tears running down her cheeks. "Can you all leave, please?"<br>"Effy, Katie won't always be this dangerous to you and you know we're all here for you…for both of you-" Naomi tried to put a hand on the taller girl's shoulder, but she stepped away, wrapping her arms protectively around herself.  
>"Please, I just need some time. We all do."<p>

Emily and Naomi bought the act without hesitation, with a little help from Katie who burst in to tears and buried her face in her sister's shoulder. The happy couple bundled Katie out of the house, reassuring Effy that they would be there for her day or night. Emily stopped at the door and wrapped her arms around her. "We'll get through this. We'll get her back."  
>"We will." Effy nodded, already planning on getting in touch with Cook to tell him that she was ready. The second she shut the door on Naomi and the twins she pulled out her phone. "Cook? Katie's on board…let's do it."<p>

"Alright, we'll work something out." Cook mumbled down the phone as he sat by his little brother's bedside, his eyes glued to the old man's chest as it slowly rose and fell. Every breath was a chore and Cook could hear his heart beginning to slow. He didn't have long left. "I'll call you later." He hung up before Effy could reply and switched his phone off before shoving it in his pocket. He took his brother's hand again, trying not to wince at the cold waxy texture of his skin. The dementia he suffered from had grown worse over the last few weeks and Cook had been forced to watch what was left of his baby brother slowly fade away in to nothing. The body that remained was just a husk, an empty shell waiting to take its last breath.

With Paddy gone Cook would be left with only Sophia for his family. If he turned Effy though that would get Katie on their side, and Sophia would inevitably take Emily; the older vampire _always_got what she wanted. With Effy and the twins they could start a new family and Naomi would go wherever Emily went. Things would go back to the way they were meant to and Cook wouldn't be so alone.

Beside him Paddy let out the strangled death rattle that Cook had heard countless times in his long life. He wasn't suffering though. His brother's fight was done. Getting to his feet he leant over him and pressed his lips to his forehead, whispering a quiet prayer out of respect. His brother had lived his life as a devoted Christian, taking his children, and eventually his grandchildren, to church every Sunday. He'd had no idea that the brother he had idolised had been claimed by the devil himself. James Cook had watched over his kin for decades, but he had only revealed himself when the youngest Cook had begun to lose his mind. He'd never told him what had happened to him. Had never gotten the chance to explain why he had just disappeared on him all those years ago. At one time he had thought he would spend eternity trying to make amends with that, but the sad reality was that within a few decades he would forget all about his brother and his human life, just as Naomi and countless other vampires had; just as Katie and Effy, and even Emily, eventually would.

For the time being though he would have to make do with forgetting the human way; with copious amounts of cheap alcohol and even cheaper women. Not wanting to be alone in his misery he pulled his phone back out of his pocket and dialled a familiar number. "Hey, fancy getting fucked up?" He heard the girl on the other line let out a small sigh as he waited for an answer.  
>"Ok, Emily's got to play happy families tonight anyway. I'll meet you at the club in an hour?"<br>"Perfect. See you soon, Naoms."

**A/N: Bit of a shorter chapter than the last few and it's taken me forever to post again, but I've just not been in to writing much lately and when I have been it's been for other fandoms. The next chapter should be a lot longer and a lot prompter as I've got a lot planned for it. Thanks again to everyone who's still reading and sticking by this fic despite my atrocious updating :) **


	32. Chapter 32

Relief flooded through Naomi's system as her fangs ripped in to soft supple flesh and hot wet blood rushed in to her mouth. The taste of fresh blood was like nothing else on earth; there was no human equivalent to compare it to. It was sweeter than any wine Naomi had ever tasted and at the same time it was sharper than any spice. Every mouthful was pure indulgence. Naomi could survive physically on animal blood, and she had done for almost three decades, but it was a poor substitute for fresh human blood straight from the vein. The woman she was feeding on writhed beneath her and let out a strangled moan as she reached up to tangle her fingers through Naomi's hair; it was a stark reminder that the girl wasn't Emily and Naomi suddenly lost her appetite. She retracted her fangs and pushed the girl away from her.

Beside her Cook was feeding on a portly blonde. He chuckled as he pulled out of her and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "Just like old times, ay Blondie?" He was already high and his eyes were wide and unfocused as he picked up his beer from the table beside his chair. They were sitting in one of the side rooms of Sophia's club, the ones used for feeding out of public view. "Remember the first time you taught me how to feed? It was a fucking bloodbath." He cackled again and Naomi felt the pit of her stomach drop at the memory of Cook's first kill. The body had been in pieces by the time he was through with it.

Naomi wiped at her own mouth. They'd been out for a couple of hours and the alcohol she'd managed to consume had had no effect on her, but the blood had given her a buzz. She washed it down with another beer, trying not to look at the strung out girl she had just been feeding from. She was high on cocaine, the drug of choice for middle class yuppies who enjoyed being fed from, and the drugs had been transferred in to Naomi's system.  
>"Come on, we're done in here." She made her way out of the room and back in to the main bar, not caring if Cook was following her or not. She sat back down at the table that had been reserved for them and flagged down a passing waitress for another drink.<p>

She tried to hand over a ten pound note to pay, but the young waitress politely declined. "Your drinks are on the house miss, management's orders." Naomi nodded at her before taking a sip of the whisky that she'd ordered. She placed the note down on the girl's tray with an easy smile.  
>"How about you take me to see the management? Sophia and I are old friends."<br>"I don't…I…" The girl fumbled. She was barely more than a teenager and looked terrified at the prospect of going to Sophia.  
>"It's alright Sara; I'll take care of our guest." Arianne, the woman who'd been on the door the previous night, placed a comforting hand on the girl's arm as she dismissed her. "I'm afraid Sophia isn't here at present, but she's aware that you and Mr Cook are here. She's asked me to see to whatever needs you may have. Consider me yours for the night."<p>

Naomi ignored the blatant flirting. She wasn't looking for some vampire groupie. "Where is she?" She glared at the human, but the young woman was clearly used to dealing with vampires. She wasn't even remotely fazed as Naomi's fangs made an appearance. She offered her a patient smile, like the blonde was a toddler throwing a tantrum, not a highly evolved killer that could rip her throat out in the blink of an eye.  
>"She has dinner reservations tonight."<p>

"Fuck." Emily cursed as she checked the message she'd just received on her phone.  
>"What's wrong?" Katie quizzed, finally tearing her attention away from the magazine she'd had her head buried in for the last hour. They were up in their room, avoiding the awkwardness between her parents. Rob and Jenna Fitch had barely spoken since Katie had been turned, and when they did speak it was only to scream at each other.<br>"Sophia wants me to go over to her place."  
>"And what? You're just going to go running?" Katie frowned as Emily slipped off her bed and pulled on a jacket.<br>"I have to. I made a deal with her, remember?"  
>"I didn't ask you to!" Katie snarled back. The twins were getting on about as well as their parents were. It was hard for both of them to adjust to what had happened to Katie. The fledgling vampire felt alone and isolated from her Hunter family, while Emily looked at her sister and saw a future she would do anything to avoid.<br>"And what was I supposed to do Katie? Let you die twice?" A deafening silence settled between them as Katie brought the magazine back up to her face, pointedly ignoring Emily's scrutinizing glare. "Just cover for me if mum and Dad ask where I am. Don't tell them I'm with Sophia…just say I've gone to Naomi's."  
>"What's the difference?"<br>"Fuck you Katie. You're one of them now too, remember?" Emily stalked out of the room, slamming the door behind her. Katie gave it ten minutes before she tossed her magazine aside and pushed her window open. Emily was free to go as she pleased, but Samuel and her parents were keeping a close eye on Katie; making sure she didn't wander off and tear some poor soul apart. She couldn't just walk out the front door, so she had to improvise.

She and Emily had had years of practise sneaking out of their room through the window and down on to the garage roof a short drop below it. Katie wasn't human anymore though. Her bones weren't soft and fragile and she dropped from the window without a second though, landing relatively cleanly on her feet. She put a bit of distance between herself and the house before she pulled her phone out to call Effy. "Hey, it's me. I got out… I'm coming over."

* * *

><p>"Emily, right on time." Sophia stepped aside to let Emily in to her apartment, her eyes hungrily raking over the smaller girl as she shrugged off her jacket. "Would you like a glass of wine?"<br>"The deal is I feed you Sophia, I don't have to drink your wine and I don't have to make small talk with you." She snapped, still in a mood from her argument with Katie. She'd tried calling Naomi to vent about it, but the other girl wasn't answering her phone. She tossed her jacket down on the sofa and crossed her arms over her chest. "Hurry up and feed, then I'm out of here."  
>"Have you eaten? I don't want you passing out on me."<br>"Save the bullshit Sophia. I'm not in the mood for it-" She was cut off as Sophia quickly moved behind her, taking hold of her ponytail and yanking it back hard enough to make her cry out.

"I try to make this easy for you Emily, I really do, but you insist on fighting me." Sophia purred in her ear, her lips brushing against the column of her neck.  
>"If you wanted to make this easy on me you'd just snap my neck and be done with it. Turning me? That's torture and you know it! I get that my grandfather killed your maker, but what you're planning on doing to me, that's worse."<br>"I admit killing you would probably hurt your mother just as much as turning you would…either way you'd be dead to her. This started as vengeance, all those long years ago when you were just a baby…but now, now you're all grown up." Emily whimpered as Sophia's hand caressed her cheek, her fangs digging painfully against the flesh of her collarbone. "And now I want _you _more than I want revenge. The only way I get to keep you is if I sire you." She bit down without warning, her razor sharp fangs sinking through her flesh like a knife through butter. It stung for a second, but Emily knew fighting would only make the pain worse, so she relaxed back against her, letting Sophia hold her up.

Sophia picked up on the shift in her stance and she let go of her hair, wrapping her arms around her waist instead as she moved them over to the sofa. She sank down, pulling Emily on to her lap without breaking contact with her neck. Emily began to feel lightheaded from the blood loss and her head lolled back, finding Sophia's shoulder. "Jonas wasn't just my maker Emily. He was my father, my human father, and your grandfather took him from me…just like Gina took my mother from me… That's why I took Naomi from her." Sophia shifted so that Emily was lying comfortably against her chest. She hadn't actually eaten anything before going to see the vampire and she was paying for it as the room spun in and out of focus. "You might hate me Emily, because of everything I've done to you and your family…but Gina's the one you should hate. Every vampire in existence, every person they've hurt or killed, it's all on Gina."

"What are you talking about?" Emily grumbled, her head was pounding and her ears were ringing. She felt like she was about to pass out and the last thing she needed was Sophia ranting in her ear. The vampire didn't answer, instead she moved out from under her and disappeared in to the kitchen, returning with a glass of orange juice and a packet of biscuits. She sat them down on the glass coffee table before sitting back down and pulling Emily's head in her lap. She lifted the glass to her lips and urged her to take small sips. She wanted Emily to be aware of everything she was telling her. She needed to make her understand.

"Gina was the first of our kind. She was attacked by something that lived in the mountains near her village. There were stories, legends really, about the things that lived in the mountains. Vicious creatures that were older than time itself and could tear a man apart in the blink of an eye. No one had ever survived an attack before, but the thing that attacked Gina was old and weak, it was dying and she was able to run it through with a silver dagger; but not before it bit her. When my father found her she was almost dead. He took her back to the village and she spent three days and nights in agony, waiting to die; on the third night she did die, but then she came back. You can't imagine the hunger you feel when you're first turned Emily. It's like your insides are on fire and the only thing that quenches that pain is blood; Gina wiped out half the village that night. My mother included. I watched her rip my mother to pieces in front of me. She would have killed me too if my father hadn't stepped in."

"I'm sorry." Emily apologised, not knowing what else to say. The monster Sophia was describing sounded nothing like the pacifist that Emily knew Gina to be. "Did she turn your father?"  
>"Not that night, but she did. She fled from the village and she kept away for almost ten years. She came back when she had the hunger under control. She had Markus with her. He'd been a Roman soldier, posted to fight the Caledonians in the north. She'd taken out his scouting party and turned him by accident. When she figured out her blood could make more of her kind, she came back to the village for my father. They'd been lovers in their youth, before he'd married my mother. She wanted him with her and Markus. He refused of course, but that didn't stop her. She turned him anyway and it changed him. My father had been a kind and gentle man, but her blood made him cruel. He became as blood thirsty as Gina. She took my mother and my father from me and then after a millennia of death she had the nerve to turn her back on us! Suddenly the woman who had ripped my mother's throat out was too righteous to kill anymore! Too good to feed on human blood! She had only ever turned Markus and Jonas, but then she found Naomi. The daughter she'd never had, the daughter she loved enough to break her vow never to harm another human being. I knew corrupting her prodigy would hurt her more than killing her ever could. So I took her from her. I never expected to fall in love with her… or to lose her myself."<p>

"When did he turn you?" Emily felt more alert as she sat up, holding the glad of orange juice for herself as she sipped at it. Despite herself she was intrigued by Sophia's tale. Little was known about the origins of the vampires, and if what Sophia was telling her was true then she was one of the very first.  
>"I was around your age when my father was turned, he and the others couldn't walk in the day light, it took them centuries to develop a tolerance to the sunlight, so I was their eyes and ears in the day time. They would wander from village to village, feeding and leaving a trail of bodies and fledgling vampires in their wake. After a few years I asked my father to make me like him. To change me so I could stay with him forever…and that's what you have to understand about me Emily. I was the first vampire to be made by <em>choice<em>. I accepted what I had to become long before I first tasted human blood…it's easier to live with yourself that way. You're eighteen in two days Emily, after that I can turn you the second you give in to me." She cupped the smaller girl's cheek, her eyes burning in to her as she leant forward. Emily wrenched away from her.  
>"No matter how long you give me, I will never choose to be like you! I'm sorry about your parents, but that doesn't justify the fact that you're a murdering bitch. You're not capable of love Sophia, not really." She got to her feet, still a little unsteady on them, and pulled on her jacket. "You fed, so I'm done here."<p>

She made it all the way to the front door before Sophia stopped her. She slammed a hand against the door as Emily tried to open it, her body pinning the smaller girl. "Who said I was done with you?" Her mouth dropped to the smaller girl's throat again and Emily's breath caught in her throat.  
>"Take any more and you'll kill me."<br>"Oh Emily, there's more one than one hunger you can satisfy in me."  
>"Sorry, <em>that <em>wasn't part of our deal." The smaller girl tried to push her away, but she couldn't budge the vampire. "Sophia, please, let me go."  
>"Why? Scared of what you'll let me do if you stay?" Sophia teased, her knee slipping in between Emily's legs. "Just stop fighting me Emily…you know that you want this." She dipped her head down to kiss her. Emily froze as the other girls lips slowly moved against her own, almost tentatively. There was nothing pushy or forceful about it; until Emily started kissing back.<p>

Her lips moved of their own accord, kissing the older woman back as Sophia hooked her fingers through the loops of Emily's jeans, pulling her back in to the living room and over towards the sofa. Emily was tired and worn down. She was stressed to the hilt and facing her own mortality while her sister had become one of the un-dead; and her un-dead girlfriend was off feeding on god-knows-who and getting up to god-knows-what with Cook. She needed a release, something to take the pressure off; and Sophia was it. The older woman was offering her a temporary release from all of her problems, even if Sophia was the cause of most of them.

She gasped as Sophia picked her up and tossed her down on to the sofa, her body covering Emily's before her back even hit the cushions. She wasn't giving the human girl a chance to change her mind as her tongue slipped past her parted lips and her hands worked their way under her T-shirt. She had been waiting a long time to get her hands on the youngest twin; in more ways than one. If Emily was willing to give up her body, then her humanity couldn't be far behind it. With Katie turned and Naomi feeding from the vein again, everything was falling nicely in to place. Sophia would be able to remove the last of Emily's resolve as easily as she pulled her T-shirt over her head and tossed it aside. Her lips attacked the milky white flesh of the younger girl's stomach, trailing nipping kisses down to her hips. "Wait!" Emily breathed as Sophia's fingers made light work of the buttons on her jeans.

"No." Sophia replied firmly, her lips returning to cover Emily's. She was tired of waiting. She was almost as old as Christ himself and she couldn't wait much longer for a child of her own. Emily would be eighteen in two days' time, and of legal age to turn, if Sophia didn't push her hard enough then she could be waiting another eighteen years for the tiny human to give in to her. She couldn't have that. "Stop fighting Emily, let me make you feel good- Ugh!" Sophia screamed as she felt something slam between her shoulder blades and a searing hot pain coursed through her entire body. She rolled off Emily and landed on all fours on the carpet, panting as she reached up to try and remove the switchblade that the resourceful human had slipped out of her pocket and sunk deep in to the vampire's back.

"No means no, Sophia." Emily growled, returning to her senses as she scrambled off the sofa and pulled on her T-shirt. She pulled her jacket back on and buttoned up her jeans while Sophia struggled to reach the knife. Emily had planted it square in her muscle, meaning every time Sophia tried to take the knife out she was moving the silver coated knife, causing herself more pain.  
>"You're going to pay for that, you stupid little bitch!" Emily didn't stick around long enough to wait for her to get the knife out. She ran out of the apartment and kept running long after her lungs started burning and the muscles in her legs started seizing up. Once she was far enough away from the wounded vampire she pulled out her phone and tried Naomi again; cursing as she got through to her voicemail.<p>

"Babe, it's me. I really need to talk you…I…I fucked up. I'm sorry; I just…for a second I lost it and I almost let Sophia… I'm heading to your place now; meet me there when you get this. Please, Naomi. I need you."

* * *

><p>"You're home then?" Naomi slumped back against the front door, a stupid grin on her face as she fell to the floor. Gina looked less than amused as she took in the sight of her. It was almost dawn and the blonde was off her face; a potent mixture of drugs, alcohol and human blood coursed through her system. She'd been out with Cook all night; though she'd lost him a short while back and couldn't quite remember where she'd been or what she'd done for the last few hours.<br>"Relax, I'm going to bed." She wasn't tired. She was quite the opposite, pumped up from too much fresh blood. Telling Gina she was going to bed would get her off her back, but in truth she was hoping Emily was upstairs waiting for her. She'd found her voicemail on her phone some time around midnight, though Cook had talked her out of going home early.

Her girlfriend would be pissed at her for staying out all night, she had sounded pretty desperate on the phone, but Naomi was sure she could sweet talk her way back in to Emily's good graces; and if talking failed she could always try something more productive. "Is Ems asleep?" Something flickered across Gina's face, a subtle shift in her expression, and Naomi felt her stomach turning.  
>"What? What is it? Where's Emily?"<br>"Emily's in the hospital." Gina's voice was as cold and as hard as her gaze as she stared down at the blonde. Naomi felt instantly sobered from the look alone.  
>"W-what happened to her?"<br>"You tell me."

"What?" Naomi couldn't believe what her mother was insinuating. "I haven't seen her since yesterday afternoon. She called and said she was coming over here. What happened? Is she ok?" She got back to her feet, gripping the wall to keep her upright.  
>"She was coming here. She was found a few streets away…a milkman found her and called an ambulance. Rob called to tell me. They said it looked like an animal attack; there was a lot of blood. She was almost drained dry-"<br>"She's alive though? Tell me she's alive!" Naomi lurched forward, gripping Gina's forearms in desperation as a cold panic gripped her. Emily couldn't be dead, she just couldn't be. Gina pushed her away, knocking the drunken vampire to the floor.  
>"She's alive Naomi, but you won't be if you stay here. Rob's going for a warrant from the Council, then he's coming here for you."<br>"What are you saying? I didn't do anything! I didn't hurt Emily, I would never-"  
>"Enough!" Gina snapped, her docile nature slipping away like a mask falling from her face. "I've put up with a lot from you Naomi. I've given you chance after chance…but to hurt Emily…I can't do this anymore. I can't keep protecting you. So this is the last time. You leave now and you never come back, because if you do I will kill you myself!"<br>"No! Mum, I-"

"Don't call me that!" Gina growled, her fangs showing as she rounded on the younger vampire. "You are no longer my kin."  
>"You can't! Mum, I didn't hurt her! I would never-" She was cut off as Gina grabbed her by the scruff of her neck and shoved her in front of the mirror in the hallway. The blonde's eyes widened as she took in the state of herself. Her face and neck were covered in blood. Thick red clumps stained her platinum curls and her clothes. She looked like a survivor from a bad horror movie. She didn't remember much after leaving Sophia's club, but she thought she and Cook might have gone hunting. She should have ignored Cook and gone straight home to meet Emily. She should have been there to protect her, not running around town with Cook, high on pills and blood.<p>

There was no way the blood could be Emily's though. No matter how wasted she had been she would never have put Emily's life in danger. The blood wasn't Emily's, it couldn't be. She had to make Gina understand that. She had to make her believe her.  
>"Gina-"<br>"Clean yourself up and get out. You're not welcome here anymore."

Abandoned by her mother and sire, and probably wanted by just about every Hunter in Bristol, Naomi didn't have many options. She needed to check on Emily, but there was no way she would get near the hospital. Not while she was the prime suspect in Emily's attack. She would need to prove what had really happened; and she had a good idea where to start.


	33. Chapter 33

"How dare you show your face here!" Rob Fitch roared as he slammed Naomi up against the wall. A startled nurse stared at them both as Katie and Samuel wrestled Rob away from the teenage girl. Remembering where he was Rob waited for the nurse to walk on before he turned his attention back to Naomi, stabbing a finger in to her chest to punctuate every word he growled at her. "When I get the nod from the council, you're dead! I might not even wait that long!" Naomi could have taken his finger and snapped it in half, but she understood that the man was hurting. She felt his pain, and if she had have been in his place she would have staked her on sigh; never mind waiting for permission from the Vampire Council.  
>"I didn't touch her! I swear! I wouldn't-"<p>

"She was going to meet you!" Rob spat as he grabbed hold of her by the front of her hoodie. She had never seen the man looking so angry or so dangerous. It was easy to forget that Emily's easy-going father was a third generation vampire hunter who wouldn't think twice about sinking a stake in to Naomi's heart. "You were supposed to protect her! You were supposed to protect them both!" He broke down and started sobbing as Katie pulled him away from the blonde again. Sinking to his knees he buried his face in his hands, choking on his tears as his world fell apart around him.

Naomi knew she wouldn't get anywhere with him so she tried to turn her attention to Katie. She let the other girl lead her off the ward and then tried to talk her in to letting her see Emily. "Katie, please, you know I wouldn't hurt her. I just need to see her. I need to know she's ok. Maybe I can pick up another scent-"  
>"She's not ok, Naomi! She almost died!" Katie interrupted the other vampire. "She was alone and she was scared and it's all your fucking fault! If you and Sophia had of just fucked off and left us alone…" Katie trailed off as she fought back her own tears. Her fists were clenched at her sides and the young vampire was practically shaking as she glared at the blonde. "If you really love Ems, then do her a favour and stay the fuck away! Dad doesn't care whether you were the one who attacked her or not, you let it happen! You weren't there for her when she needed you!"<br>"And I wasn't there for you either." Naomi knew Katie's anger wasn't just about Emily. She had promised Rob she would protect _both _of his girls and she hadn't been able to save either of them when they needed her most. "I'm sorry Katie. Really, I am."  
>"Too late now." Katie huffed at her. "Do you know the doctors wanted me to donate blood to her when she was brought in? I couldn't; because my blood could have killed her, or turned her! We had to lie and tell them I was anaemic…"<br>"Katie, I'm-"  
>"Stop fucking saying you're sorry!" Katie screamed at her, finally losing her temper. "It doesn't change anything! It won't change what happened to Ems!"<p>

"You're right." Naomi admitted in defeat, knowing she wouldn't be getting in to Emily's hospital room any time soon. There was nothing she could do for her there anyway. "I can't change it, but I can find out who _really _hurt her; and then I can tear them apart." Naomi had consumed so much blood the night before that she felt like she could take on any vampire, even Markus himself. She would find out what had happened to Emily, and the creature that had hurt the tiny girl would be praying for a quick death when she got her hands on it. She had a pretty good idea who to start with.  
>"They deserve it." Katie mumbled, her eyes tearing over again as she turned her back on Naomi and headed back towards Emily's room. She paused halfway along the corridor and looked back at Naomi with an almost compassionate look. "You need to stay away Naomi. If Dad gets that warrant you're dead." With that she slipped back in to Emily's room, leaving Naomi alone in the hallway.<p>

The blonde knew it looked bad, even her own mother didn't believe she was innocent, so it was no surprise that Rob Fitch wanted to kill her because of what had happened to his youngest daughter; but she couldn't run. She couldn't just leave Emily behind, not with Sophia still lurking around. Had that been her plan? To attack Emily and frame Naomi so that she would have to flee Bristol? Would she really risk almost killing Emily by draining her and then leaving her somewhere she might not have been found? Naomi wasn't sure what to believe, but she was determined to get some answers.

She made her way to Sophia's apartment block and just glared at the receptionist who tried to question where she was going as she made her way to the lift. She felt unusually calm as she knocked on Sophia's door and waited for the other woman to answer. Her sense of calm disappeared however; the second Sophia opened the door. She was wearing her usual smug smile and Naomi lashed out without thinking, launching herself at the other vampire with her fangs out and murder on her mind.

With the element of surprise on her side, and human blood coursing through her system, she managed to put up a good fight as they scrapped on the floor, but Sophia eventually delivered a well-timed kick to her stomach and sent her soaring through the air. She crashed on to the coffee table and groaned in pain as something in her back snapped. The pain didn't last very long as her body quickly healed herself, but she sat up gingerly, afraid of breaking the bones that were still knitting together. They both took a moment to catch their breaths before Sophia asked what she was doing there.

"Emily was attacked. She was almost drained dry….and I know it was you." Naomi growled out, already considering launching another attack on the older vampire. For a second a look of alarm passed over Sophia's expression. She seemed genuinely shocked. "She's alive." Naomi added, though she still wasn't buying Sophia's innocent act.

"And why would I almost kill her, two days before her eighteen birthday, without feeding her my blood? Where does that fit in to my diabolical plans?" Sophia regained her composure as she casually took a seat and picked up her wine glass, waiting for Naomi to answer.  
>"Because now everyone thinks <em>I <em>did it to her and her entire family of pissed off vampire hunters want me dead! It's only a matter of time before Marcus issues the warrant; if any of them find me I'm dead!" Naomi watched as the older vampire fell silent and pensive. Putting down her wine glass she made her way over to the side table where she pulled her purse out of her handbag, took out a wad of notes and a credit card at random and held them out to the blonde.  
>"They'll track you if you use your own card. Take this and get as far away from Bristol as you can. Go somewhere that vampires don't turn their own kind over to hunters." Naomi stared at her in disbelief and slapped the money out of her hand.<br>"Trying to get rid of me? That just proves it-"

"What it proves…" Sophia's tone was sharp as her hand clamped around the younger vampire's throat. Naomi uselessly tried to pull the hand away but even on a diet of human blood the other vampire was too strong for her to take on. "What it proves is that I'm a fool. That after _everything _you've done to me, I still care too much to see you killed. I had no part in attacking Emily, and I would happily tear out the heart of the vampire who did hurt her, but I can't stand back and see you killed over something you didn't do!"  
>"Everything I've done?" Naomi gasped, for all she did not need air to survive it was hard to talk when her windpipe was being crushed. Sophia's eyes darkened as she increased the pressure and they both heard the cartilage in Naomi's neck starting to snap. The damage would heal but her throat would be sore as hell for days.<p>

"Yes, Naomi, after everything _you've _done. After turning your back on _our _family, after siding with the hunter who killed my _father_, after denying me my revenge at every turn! There was a time when I thought I hated you, but I know now that no matter what happens between us, we'll always be bound together. I will always love you Naomi, perhaps when Emily is mine you'll find a reason to love me back…but for now I need to keep both of you alive. So take the money and run. Save yourself and I'll protect Emily." She released the younger woman's throat and made to caress her cheek. Naomi pulled back, her eye burning with hatred. When she spoke her voice was a hoarse whisper, but the power in her words was not lost.  
>"I'd rather die than turn my back on Emily. It'll be a cold day in hell when I hand her over to you!"<br>"She's not yours to hand over Naomi, not anymore. Maybe you did attack her…maybe she told you what happened between us last night and you snapped. You always were the jealous type."  
>"What are you talking about?" The blonde's cold blue eyes narrowed on the older vampire. "Emily would never do anything with you-"<p>

"We didn't quite make it to my bed, but we came pretty close." Sophia smirked as the blonde's eyes widened. Her fangs strained against her gums as a deep guttural growl built up in her throat.  
>"You're lying!"<br>"She left you a voicemail." Sophia sipped at her wine again, waiting patiently for Naomi to check her phone. She vaguely remembered getting a call from Emily the previous night, but everything was still a jumbled blur in her mind and she couldn't recall the message. Calling her voicemail she replayed the message and listened to Emily's voice on the other end of the line.

_"Babe, it's me. I really need to talk you…I…I fucked up. I'm sorry; I just…for a second I lost it and I almost let Sophia… I'm heading to your place now; meet me there when you get this. Please, Naomi. I need you."__  
><em>  
>She felt her stomach churning as she heard the desperation in the other girl's voice. How had she ignored her plea for help the previous night? Had she really heard that message and just carried on partying with Cook? Naomi couldn't imagine it, no matter how out of it she was. A sinking feeling of dread settled over her like a storm cloud. Had she gone home earlier than she thought? Had Emily confessed to almost sleeping with Sophia? Had she done something to her in a drunken jealous rage?<p>

The phone dropped from her hands as Naomi slumped back down on to the coffee table. She unzipped her hoodie, revealing the blood staining her shirt below. Sophia's nostrils flared as she picked up the same unmistakable scent that Gina had. "That's her blood…at least some of it." Her eyes narrowed on the younger vampire. "You need to get out of town Naomi. Now!"  
>"I couldn't have hurt her…I just couldn't! I slipped on the grass opposite my house; I think it's where she was attacked… I think I slipped in her blood and I was so out of it I didn't even pick up her scent…Gina did. She thinks I hurt her. She thinks I attacked Emily…she's disowned me."<p>

"Well that's Gina for you, always giving up on the people she's supposed to love. I've never given up on you Naomi, have I? Now, if it wasn't me and it wasn't you, who does that leave?" Sophia asked, her voice taking on an unusually gentle tone as she took Naomi's hands in her own. "If you hurt her, I can fix it. Just let me help-"  
>"I didn't do it!" Naomi wrenched away from her. "No matter what happened with you and her, I wouldn't have taken it out on Emily. I'd have come for you and you know it!"<p>

Sophia shrugged as she sat back down, agreeing with the blonde. "Maybe another vampire targeted her because of her family, or maybe it was a random attack. It's not likely, but it's a possibility." Sophia didn't sound very convinced herself. She still suspected Naomi, just as part of Naomi still couldn't rule out that Sophia could have attacked Emily to turn everyone against the blonde. Without Gina or Emily she had no one; Sophia and Cook were probably the only people left in Bristol who didn't hate her.

"Either way, I'm going to find out. Whoever attacked her would have left a scent. I'll slip in her room after visiting hours are over." Naomi stood to make for the door, but Sophia stopped her as she caught her hand.  
>"You've got hours to wait yet and you look like you should be in a budget slasher movie. Go take a shower and sleep off your hangover." She pressed her lips to Naomi's cheek and the other girl was too tired to object. After all, she had nowhere else to go.<br>"Katie was right." She sighed, the fight leaving her as Sophia caressed her cheek. "I can't protect Emily. I can't keep her safe."  
>"Not like this." Sophia agreed, leaning in to press her lips to Naomi's. The blonde stiffened at the contact. "Not while she's human. Think about it Naomi. Help me turn her and you'll never have to worry about her getting sick or growing old. You'll never lose her-"<br>"If Emily turns I'll lose her anyway." Naomi pulled away with a frown. "I won't help you do that to her."  
>"No, but you won't exactly put a hundred percent in to stopping me will you?" Sophia's tone was as cruel and mocking as the smirk on her lips. "We both know that you want this just as much as I do. You might not be able to admit it to Emily, or even yourself, but I know you Naomi. You won't let her stay human… You're too selfish to give her up." <p>

* * *

><p>"You shouldn't be here." Katie let go of her sister's hand as the door to Emily's hospital room opened and Naomi slipped silently inside. Despite her words her tone held none of its usual menace and she didn't stop Naomi from walking over to Emily's bed.<br>"I thought they'd have someone on guard." Naomi replied nonchalantly, like they were having a conversation about the weather. She was confident she could talk Katie on to her side without her father around. "You knew I wouldn't stay away. I can help find out who did this to her. If I can pick up the scent of another vampire-"  
>"Yeah, I knew you'd come… and I know you didn't hurt her." Katie admitted, fresh tears brimming in her eyes as she looked from her sleeping sister to Naomi. "Can you figure out who hurt her just by smelling her?" The younger girl still had a lot to learn about what she was capable to do. She would need to be taught how to be a vampire, it wasn't just about feeding. Their abilities, their rules and culture, it all had to be learnt over time.<br>"I should be able to pick up the scent of any foreign vampires…but all I can smell is the ones Emily knows, mum, Cook, Sophia, you…everything's faint, it would have been better if I'd been able to see her earlier. I can't pick up any unusual scents." It wasn't unusual not to find anything, given the sterile environment that Emily had been cared for in. Between the surgery on her neck and the blood transfusion she would have received her clothes and body would have been scrubbed clean of her attacker's scent; but it still didn't sit comfortably with the blonde as she hovered by Emily's side. No foreign scent could just as easily mean she was attacked by a vampire she knew.

"I had to stay. I had to make sure she'd be ok…I'll be waiting outside." Katie sighed as she got to her feet and kissed her twin's forehead, her eyes closing over like she was almost in pain. "If she wakes up, tell her…tell her I love her, ok?" She left the room, leaving Naomi standing awkwardly by Emily's bed.

The tiny figure in the bed seemed to be buried under crisp white sheets that were almost the same colour as Emily's pale skin. She looked so fragile lying there, like a china doll, that Naomi was afraid to get too close. There was a dressing over her collarbone from where her throat had been ripped in to and the mottled black and blue bruising around it made Naomi feel sick. She stepped closer and carefully held one of Emily's hands between her own. "I'm so sorry Ems; I should have been there with you. I should have-" The words died in her throat as Emily's eyelids fluttered. "Emily?" She called the other girl's name softly and watched as her lids fluttered again before slowly opening.

The human girl blinked a few times, trying to get her eyes to focus before they settled on Naomi. She looked confused, but not afraid of her. She certainly wasn't looking at her like the blonde had tried to rip her throat out.  
>"You're ok, thank god!" Naomi sighed as she buried her face in the bed sheet beside Emily's arm, letting out a silent prayer of thanks to a God she didn't believe in. Emily winced as she tried to sit up. The movement tugged at the stitches in her shoulder and crimson blood spots appeared on her dressing. "Easy." Naomi helped her back down against the pillows, her fingers brushing lovingly against Emily's cheek. "I thought I'd lost you Ems…people think I did this to you, your parents, the council, even my mum…" Naomi's voice cracked; having her own maker turning her back on her hurt more than anything else. Even when Naomi had been at her lowest Gina had still seen something worth saving in her.<p>

"They're going to kill me Emily. You have to tell them it was Sophia…" She stopped as Emily softly shook her head to the side. Tears were welling up in the smaller girl's eyes before she clenched them shut and a strangled sob escaped her dry cracked lips. Her words came out choked and raw from her bruised throat and afterwards Naomi wasn't quite sure she had heard her right. She stared down at the other girl, her blood running cold as she looked straight in to her big brown eyes and asked her to repeat herself.

"It wasn't Sophia…it was Katie. Katie did this to me…"


	34. Chapter 34

"She's gone." Naomi growled as she trudged back in to Emily's hospital room and slumped down in to the plastic chair beside her bed. Her whole body was practically humming with anger. "I can't fucking believe she did this to you! And she just stood there while your dad blamed me and…what are you doing?" She stopped ranting as she realised Emily was trying to pull out the drip in her arm.  
>"I need to go after her."<br>"Em, I know you're angry and I don't blame you, but she's still your sister. You should tell your dad first and-"  
>"No! I'm not telling anyone anything! I need to find Katie to keep her <em>safe<em>, not to turn her in." Emily scowled as she tried to push the covers away and found Naomi pushing her back down in to bed.  
>"First off, you're in no fit state to be getting out of the bad, and second of all you <em>have <em>to tell your parents what happened. Your dad's going for a warrant to _kill _me. Everybody thinks I was the one who hurt you! You have to tell them it was Katie!"

"I can't!" Emily choked with a shake of her head, her soft red locks falling down over her face. Her skin was still ghastly pale and her eyes were framed by dark heavy circles. She looked like she could pass as a zombie in a B movie and it was a painful reminder to Naomi of just how close she had come to losing her. Katie had almost drained her dry; her own sister. "You heard what Marcus said, Katie only has one chance. If she screws up she's dead! I'll tell them it wasn't you, I'll say it was some random vampire that I'd never met or something, but I _can't _tell them it was Katie."  
>"She could have killed you Emily!" The blonde couldn't believe what she was hearing as the youngest twin tried to defend her sister.<br>"But she didn't! She stopped and she called an ambulance! I hear her Naomi, she didn't mean to hurt me she just…" She trailed off, her gaze planted firmly on the floor as Naomi waited for her to finish.  
>"She just what? What could possibly justify your sister almost killing you?"<p>

"She's been through a lot. She's still adjusting and she's scared and alone…she's never been on her own before. It's always been the two of us…I think…I think she was trying to change me, not kill me."  
>"Great, as if Sophia trying to turn you wasn't enough, now we've got to worry about Katie draining you!" Naomi huffed. She was furious at Katie for hurting Emily in the first place, and angry that the other girl had let people think Naomi had been responsible. Part of her wanted to hunt the young vampire down and deliver her to Marcus herself, but she knew Emily would never forgive her if she did.<br>"She won't do it again! I'll talk to her! I just need to find her…If she runs then she really will be on her own, and I'm worried she'll turn in to one of the monsters we've been hunting for years. I _know _I can get through to her, if I can just talk to her-"  
>"You're in no state to find her." Naomi insisted again as she pulled the covers back over the smaller girl and tucked them under her chin. "I'll find her and I'll bring her back to you." Some time in between she would probably kick her arse and put the fear of god in to her, but Emily didn't need to know about that bit.<p>

"Thank you." Emily pressed her lips to her cheek. "What's wrong?" She read the pain in Naomi's expression as the other girl pulled back, unable to look Emily in the eye.  
>"We're probably going to have to talk about what happened between you and Sophia the other night." Emily swallowed hard and looked down at the ground, some colour finally returning to her cheeks as she hung her head in shame.<br>"I'm sorry…she just has this way of getting under my skin and making me feel like…like I'm the most important thing in the world, and I can't say it's not flattering, because it is… and well lately, things between _us _haven't been all that great-" Emily fell silent as Naomi gently cupped her chin and tipped her head up so that she could kiss her. The kiss was gentle yet firm, as though it was the first they shared in a long time. Emily felt lightheaded as the other girl finally pulled away, though could have had more to do with the blood loss and the painkillers they'd pumped her full of.  
>"You <em>are <em>my world Emily Fitch. I've spent the last thirty years feeling like I was just _existing._ I only started living again when I found you. I know things haven't been great between us lately, but I promise they'll get better. Just give us some time. We'll get Katie sorted, we'll get rid of Sophia and we'll stop your parents from killing me, and then we can get focus on_ us._"  
>"I'd like that." Emily smiled, her hand cupping the blonde's cheek as she leant in for another kiss. "I've missed us."<br>"Me too." Naomi sighed as she reluctantly pulled away. "I'll support your decision not to tell your parents about Katie, and I'll go and find her and bring her back…but she has to get that this is her last chance Em, you can't keep protecting her."  
>"I know."<p>

* * *

><p>"You did what?" Effy's eyes widened as Katie sat on her bed, holding her head in her hands as she poured her heart out to her girlfriend.<br>"I didn't mean to hurt her! All I could think about was what you were saying about growing old and dying and…I couldn't stand the thought of losing Ems. Every day she's alive she's getting older than me, she's going to change and I'm going to be stuck like this for the rest of my life! I just wanted her to stay my twin; I didn't mean to hurt her!" She stiffened as she felt Effy slip beside her on the bed. Being around the other girl on her own was still dangerous territory and they had been trying to keep their distance from one another, limiting the physical contact that seemed to ignite a fire of hunger deep within the smaller girl.

She'd taken so much from Emily that she barely felt any desire for Effy's blood whatsoever; and that only made her feel all the more guilty. She had sensed that Emily was close to waking up when Naomi had turned up at the hospital, her breathing had been growing shallower and her heart had slowly been picking up. She knew that the second Emily woke up she'd tell everyone what Katie had done to her. They'd hunt her down and throw her in front of the Council. Would they kill her? Would her parents ask for leniency for her, or justice for Emily? "I need to get away, before Emily can tell anyone what happened-" She stopped talking as her phone started ringing and Emily's name flashed up on the screen. Overcome with fear she couldn't move a muscle to answer it. Effy reached out for the phone, but Katie's hand suddenly shot out, gripping her wrist almost painfully as the phone went to her voicemail.

"Katie!" Effy stared her down as she prised the other girl's fingers away from her wrist. She wasn't afraid of her, vampire or not, she trusted her; though given that she'd just almost ripped her sister's throat out, Effy wasn't quite sure whether that trust was wise or not. They had spoken to Cook about turning Effy and she was counting down the days until it could happen. She hated feeling so fragile and breakable around her girlfriend. She wanted them to be equals again, and being turned was the only way that could happen.  
>"Sorry." Katie mumbled as she stroked her fingers against the red marks she'd left on the other girl's wrist. She hated how easy it was for her to hurt the other girl without really thinking. She turned her head as Effy moved in to kiss her. Full or not, she couldn't risk having her mouth so close to Effy's skin. Ignoring Effy's pained look she picked up her phone to listen to her voicemail from Emily. She expected to hear her sister screaming at her, but everything about the message surprised her, from Emily's calm tone of voice to the words she said.<p>

_"Kay it's me. Look, I remember what happened and I want you to know it's ok. I know you didn't mean to do it and I'm not going to tell; but we need to talk. Please, just come back to the hospital. I've already lost you once Katie, I can't lose you for good. Please, come back while we can still fix this."_

Katie felt tears welling up in her eyes as she listened to her sister pleading with her to go and see her. She had expected Emily to hate her, to want her dead for what she'd done to her. She should have known better; she should have known Emily would never turn her back on her, no matter what. She had been covering for Katie's mistakes their whole lives. "I need to go and see her-" Effy cut her off as she climbed on to her lap, pressing her lips against Katie's as she claimed the kiss she had previously been denied. She was wearing that knowing little smirk as she pulled back from the speechless vampire. She had known exactly why Katie had pulled away from kissing her.  
>"I'm not afraid of you. I trust you."<br>"So did Emily." Katie grumbled, though she made no attempt to pull away as she wrapped her arms around the other girl. She let out a heavy sigh. "I can't waitfor Cook to turn you, so I can trust _myself _around you." She had barely been able to touch the other girl since she'd come home, for fear of hurting her. They had planned it for the day after the twins' eighteenth birthday party and Katie couldn't think of a better present. She wasn't particularly thrilled at the idea of Cook becoming Effy's maker, but she knew she didn't have the control needed to turn someone; almost tearing her own sister's throat out had proven that. Given in to her desires she pressed her lips softly against Effy's, straining to keep the kiss slow and placid. It would be all too easy for her to get carried away and let things go further, but she couldn't afford to lose control around Effy. She was almost thankful when she heard someone knocking on Effy's front door; until she remembered it was the early hours of the morning and the knocking turned in to pounding.

The two of them slipped off the bed to find out who was at the door. Katie was ahead of Effy, guarding the much taller girl as they approached the door. "Katie, I know you're in there! Open up!" Naomi pounded on the front door again as she heard footsteps coming down the stairs. She had guessed where she could find Katie and she wasn't surprised when the oldest twin opened the door to her. Unlike the vampires of lore and legend, Naomi didn't need an invitation to cross the threshold and in the blink of a human eye she had Katie pinned against the wall by the throat. Effy screamed and tried to pull her away, but she pushed the human girl away with her free hand while she tightened her grip around Katie's neck, pushing her up so she was dangling on her tiptoes.

"You could have killed her!" Naomi roared in her face, struggling to hold on to her humanity as every instinct in her body told her to protect Emily by ripping Katie apart. Of course hurting Katie would only serve to hurt Emily, so she reluctantly loosened her grip on the younger vampire and took a step back, keeping her fists clenched down by her sides. Katie rubbed at her neck, though the red bruising around it was already fading.  
>"I know! I'm so sorry, I-"<br>"Save it for Emily!" The blonde snapped, not wanting to hear her excuses. "I don't want to hear it Katie, just know that if you _ever _hurt her again, there won't be any more second chances! And you better hope Emily can sell the 'some random vamp attacked me' line to your parents and the Council, because I am not taking the shit for this!"

"It's ok; you don't have to stay by the door." Emily insisted as her twin hovered by the door of her hospital room. Naomi stood by Emily's bed, glaring daggers at the other twin. They had barely said a word to each other on the way over to the hospital. "Naomi, can you give us a minute? It's ok, she won't hurt me." She added at the look on the blonde's face. Naomi wasn't happy about leaving them alone, but she gave in and pressed a kiss to Emily's cheek before walking out of the room. She didn't go very far though, not willing to trust Katie as completely as Emily was. She knew how wild and unpredictable new vampires could be.  
>"Emily, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean-" Katie started to apologise, tears streaming down her cheeks as she stepped closer to her sister's bedside.<br>"I know you wanted to turn me so we'd be the same again." Emily interrupted her, keeping her gaze firmly on her sister. "But we're not the same anymore. You're never going to be human again and I don't ever want to be a vampire; you have to accept that Katie. I can only give you one more chance."

"I won't let you down! I promise!" The older girl insisted as she took Emily's hand in her own. "I'm so sorry for what I did! I wasn't thinking. I just didn't want to lose you! I'm sorry Ems…" Emily nodded as she squeezed her hand, fighting back tears of her own. Katie's betrayal had hurt, she knew how Emily felt about being turned and yet she'd still tried to force it on her. She could forgive her twin for her impulsive actions, but it would be a long time before she could forget about what she had tried to do to her. She could chalk some of it down to Katie's youth and her inability to control herself as a baby vampire, but she couldn't completely excuse what she had done. Emily could have died; though that didn't terrify her half as much as the knowledge that she could have been turned.  
>"I'll tell everyone it was some random vampire, but this is your last chance Katie. I mean it. I can't keep cleaning up your messes. You get this under control <em>now,<em> or I'll tell mum and dad it was you who attacked me."  
>"I will! I won't screw up again Ems, I promise!"<p>

After their heart to heart Katie went off to phone her parents to let them know Emily was awake, and to try to start selling the story that a random vampire had attacked her, leaving Emily alone with Naomi. The blonde stood by the window, staring out at the dreary streets of Bristol in the early morning light. A heavy rain was lashing down against the city, washing away the fifth from the previous night. She wore a sad smile as she turned her attention back to Emily, the tiny girl looking lost under the sheets of her hospital bed. "You're parents are going to know you're protecting someone. They're going to think it's me." She walked over to the bed and curled up beside Emily, grateful to still be able to lie next to her.  
>"There's nothing they can do if I stick to the stranger story. They can't prove anything else…and I'll talk to Gina for you, I'll make sure she knows you weren't responsible."<p>

"Don't bother." The blonde sighed as she nestled in to Emily's side. Gina had made her feelings quite clear. It wasn't just about Emily getting hurt. She had been waiting with baited breath for thirty years, waiting for Naomi to screw up again. She was no longer the perfect little seventeen year old that Gina had changed centuries ago. From the moment Sophia had first tempted her in to tasting human blood she had fallen in Gina's eyes. She couldn't keep trying to live up to her maker's expectations. She had to feed on human blood in order to be strong enough to protect Emily, but she also had to control herself so that there would be no more drunken black outs where she woke up covered in someone else's blood. If she was to find any sort of peace, Naomi would have to find that happy medium, where she was eating to live, not living to eat.

She would work on fixing her relationship with her mother, but whether that would happen in Emily's lifetime was debatable. Naomi needed to give the other girl her full attention if she was going to protect her from the likes of Sophia; after all they only had two days until Emily would be of legal age to turn, and Naomi was willing to bet anything that the older vampire would be preparing to step up her game to get Emily.

Her arms wrapped protectively around the smaller girl as she remembered what Sophia had said about her wanting to turn Emily. Part of her was right, some small selfish part of Naomi wanted Emily to become like her, to live forever; but a bigger part of her knew that was the last thing that Emily wanted, so she silently resolved to do anything she could to keep the tiny human girl safe as she pressed her lips to her ear. "I love you Ems."

**A/N:** **I'm glad people seemed to be surprised it was Katie who attacked Emily, hopefully this chapter helped show her reasoning a little more. As ever a big thank you to everyone who's still reading and for the awesome feedback; I'm trying to focus on this fic more than my other ones at the moment as it's getting pretty close to the end (though there's still probably another ten or so chapters at least - this is my longest fic to date and it just doesn't seem to want to end). **


	35. Chapter 35

"Katie, out for a midnight snack?" The oldest twin stopped in her tracks as she walked out of the hospital and found Sophia waiting for her. She was perched against one of the metal railings, her arms crossed over her chest and a predatory smile on her lips. Katie wasn't in the mood for her games, so she pointedly ignored her; intending to walk right past her. "Oh, wait, you're probably still full from Emily… She tastes good doesn't she?" Katie's own blood ran cold as she froze on the spot.  
>"I have no idea what you're talking about, freak!" Her words would probably have held more conviction if her voice hadn't been shaking. In fact her entire body was trembling as Sophia pushed herself up off the railing and slowly made her way over to her, stopping when their faces were only inches apart.<br>"You know it didn't take me long to figure out. I know _I _didn't go munching on Emily last night, and for once it wasn't Naomi…so that leaves you."  
>"I didn't…" Katie felt tears welling up in her eyes as she shook her head, trying to forget about the sweet taste of her sister's blood flowing over her lips. She had fucked up, she knew that, but Emily was better than her. She was a <em>good <em>person and she was willing to forgive Katie for what she had done to her. Sophia on the other hand was grinning like the cat that got the fucking cream.

Now Sophia had something over her; something big. She was on probation with the Vampire Council as it was and if anybody found out what she had done to Emily then there would be a stake with her name on it. She had to get a grip, whimpering in front of the older vampire wasn't going to win her any respect. Holding her head up high and channelling her inner bitch, which was rarely buried very deep, she looked her straight in the eye as she repeated herself. "I didn't do anything to Emily. Ask her yourself! She's awake."  
>"And no doubt backing up your story. That doesn't mean Markus and the others are going to buy it though."<br>"What do you want, Sophia?" She snapped, cutting right to the chase. If she had wanted to turn Katie in then she would have done it already, proof or no proof. She had a claim on Emily that was publicly known to the vampires and hunters alike, she was well within her right to kill any vampire who even looked wrong at the youngest twin; her sister included.

"Emily." Sophia answered honestly. Her expression actually held a tinge of sadness as she took a step back from the older twin. "I just want Emily. The hunters and the council can keep their little fucking treaty and Markus can keep his throne…I just want her. And you're going to help me."  
>"Not a fucking chance-" Katie started, but her objections were cut off as Sophia clamped a hand around her throat. Strictly speaking she didn't need to breathe, but old habits died hard and she felt like she was choking; Not to mention the feeling of someone crushing the bones in her neck was still painful, whether she needed to breathe or not.<br>"Our motives might be different Katie, but we both want the same thing." She growled in her face before releasing her and taking a step back. "I know why you attacked Emily. You didn't want to hurt her, you wanted to _change _her."

"I didn't want to lose her." Katie sighed as she rubbed at her neck, the bruises on her skin already disappearing from having so much fresh blood in her system. "I _don't _want to lose her."  
>"You don't have to." Sophia purred as she circled her. "You don't have to do anything Katie. When the time comes, just do nothing. Let me turn Emily and you'll never have to worry about losing her."<br>"She doesn't want this." Katie felt conflicted. The night before she had been angry and upset, their eighteenth birthday was looming over them and it was a painful reminder that Katie would not get to grow old with her sister. She had been blinded by that grief and by her hunger, but she understood Emily's reluctance to be turned. They were hunters' kids. They had grown up learning to kill the very kind of monster that Katie had become. In a way Katie had been lucky, because she'd been turned without warning. She hadn't spent fifteen years waiting for it. She could only imagine what that was like, waiting for death to come and stake its claim. Emily simply never talked about it.

Katie had never been interested in the vampire hunting stuff. She'd gone along with training with Emily, but as she'd grown older and started to have a choice in the matter she'd started making excuses for missing training sessions with their dad. Emily had thrown herself in to becoming a hunter, in to learning everything her parents and her Uncle Sam had to teach her. She'd never had a choice though. From the night that Sophia had marked her, her fate had been sealed. "I can't do this to her-"  
>"You don't have to do anything." Sophia insisted. "Emily's fighting it now, but once she's turned, once she feels the rush of someone else's blood coursing through her veins…well, she'll thank me when it's over. She'll thank us both."<br>"I'm not so sure she will." 

* * *

><p>Sometime during the night, Emily rolled over in the narrow hospital bed she was lying in and as her eyes fluttered open they adjusted to the darkness and found Naomi sitting in a chair beside her bed. Her chin was resting on her hand as she stared at a spot on the wall. "Are you mad at me?" Emily questioned, her voice was hoarse from sleeping. The blonde turned to look at her, her eyes softening as they landed on her. They'd argued about Emily hiding what Katie had done, but Naomi understood why she was protecting her. She was her family, her blood. Naomi had been a sister herself, albeit over a century ago, but she still remembered what it was like to want to protect her kin.<p>

"Of course not." She sighed as she shifted to face her, managing a small smile.  
>"So why are you all the way over there?" Emily shifted back on the bed and Naomi took the hint. Her smile reached her eyes as she slipped out of the chair and climbed under the covers with her. The bed was small and narrow, so Emily ended up practically lying on top of her as Naomi settled down and wrapped her arms around the smaller girl. She felt soft and warm, pressed right up against the vampire, and most importantly she felt alive. Naomi could feel Emily's heart beating steadily through her chest, a small reassurance that she was going to be ok.<p>

"They're letting me out tomorrow." Emily mumbled, already half asleep with her head resting on Naomi's chest. "I don't think I want to go home though. I can't share a room with Katie, not after-"  
>"I'll sort it." Naomi reassured the younger girl as she rubbed her hand in slow soothing circles against her back. "I'm sort of homeless right now, but I'll figure something out." She had some savings in the bank and it was about time she tried to be independent again. She had spent thirty years leaning on Gina as a crutch to stop her going back to her own ways; but denying herself human blood completely had landed her in the mess that was currently her life. She would carry on trying for the middle ground, feeding from humans but only when she needed to and she would try to do without either Gina or Sophia to support her. She had spent her entire life as a vampire depending on one or the other. It was time for her to stand on her own two feet if she wanted to be there for Emily.<p>

"Are you asking me to move in with you?" Emily chuckled as she lifted her head up to look the other girl in the eye, a teasing smile playing on her lips.  
>"I guess." Naomi tried to sound blasé about it, but she felt her own lips tugging up in to a grin at the thought of living with Emily; the thought of being able to hold her every night while she slept, keeping her safe from all of the monsters out in the world; human and otherwise. "What kind of place would we have?" She finally caved as Emily's eyes lit up with excitement.<p>

"I wouldn't care." Emily shrugged as she lay her head back down on Naomi's chest. "It'd be ours though."  
>"Your parents are definitely going to kill me." Naomi sighed, though she was still smiling as Emily wrapped an arm around her waist.<br>"I won't let them." She promised. She knew her parents would doubt her story about a random vampire attacking her, but she couldn't turn Katie in. Regardless of what they thought about Naomi, they couldn't do anything to her without a complaint from Emily; and she would never try to blame her for something she hadn't done. "I'll talk to Dad. If we can get him back on side he'll talk Mum round." It was easier said than done, but Emily would do what she could to get her parents to see exactly what she saw in Naomi. After all, she was a vampire, but she wasn't a monster. As much as Emily had hated the vampire who had marked her as a child, even at a young age she had understood that not all vampires were monsters. Vampires like her Uncle Sam, ones that didn't hurt humans, deserved the protection that the treaty gave them.

They spent the rest of the night curled up together under the covers of the tiny hospital bed, until Emily finally drifted off to sleep again and Naomi slipped out from under her. Part of her didn't want to leave Emily's side, but she had things to do and the thought of Rob or Jenna Fitch catching her in Emily's hospital bed was less than appealing. She needed to catch up with Cook too, and ensure she had a cast iron alibi for the night Katie had attacked Emily. It would do little to persuade Emily's parents, but it could spare her in the eyes of Markus and the council. Sharing a sire could only give Naomi so much leeway with the leader of the Council and she had used most of it by asking for Katie's life. She shook her head as she slipped on her jacket, the oldest twin was going to be the death of her sister if she wasn't careful.

Emily had been a little disappointed to wake up alone in her bed, but she didn't have long to dwell on it as her doctor turned up to give her a once over before she could be discharged. After checking the stitches on her neck he stared at the results of her blood tests, his lips little more than a thin line as he pursed them over what he was seeing. "I'm a little concerned about these levels in your blood-"  
>"It's a supplement; I must have been taking the wrong dose. I'll stop taking it." Emily cut the doctor off as she spotted Sophia hovering by the door.<br>"Everything ok?" Sophia quizzed as the doctor left, her brow furrowing as she picked up the chart at the end of Emily's bed.  
>"Fine." She snapped, snatching the chart out of her hands. "They just found pretty high levels of vitamin C in my blood. I've been taking these chewy tablet things that JJ gave me, but apparently too much vitamin C can stop the body absorbing iron. I'm borderline anaemic."<br>"Not really surprising seeing as you recently lost three pints of blood…are we going to talk about that by the way? About what Katie did to you?"

"I don't know what you're-"  
>"Yeah, save your breath, Emily. Katie and I had this conversation last night. I know she did this to you, and seeing as I have a claim on you, I have the right to kill her for it-"<br>"No! You can't! She didn't mean to!" Emily replied firmly, leaving no room for argument. "If you touch her I swear I'll…" She trailed off, not really sure how to finish the threat. Panic was welling up inside of her and she couldn't think straight. She had been so worried about what her parents and the council would think that she hadn't even considered Sophia.

"Relax. If I wanted Katie dead I'd have done it last night. I've actually come to help." She took a seat on the end of Emily's bed and patted the spot beside her, inviting the human girl to join her. Emily stood her ground for a few moments, but curiosity got the better of her and she eventually slumped down on to the bed, sitting as far away from Sophia as she could get.  
>"Help how?" She was suspicious of what kind of help the vampire could offer her; but she was pretty certain of her motivation and just what Sophia's idea of <em>help<em> could cost her.  
>"Katie's on probation with the council as it is. If anyone finds out what she did, they'd kill her. No questions about it."<br>"But she didn't do anything." Emily repeated her story like a broken record. As if saying it enough times would make it the truth.

"Of course she didn't." Sophia chuckled softly, though her expression quickly turned serious as she handed over a photograph of a portly middle aged man with a receding hairline. Emily had never seen him before in her life. "He did. His name is Harry Marshall, and he's the vampire who's going to take the blame for attacking you…exonerating poor Naomi and keeping anyone from questioning Katie."  
>"But they'll kill him!" Emily objected. She might have been a vampire hunter, but they had the treaty for a reason, to protect those vampires who followed the rules and didn't harm humans.<br>"Please Emily, give me some credit. I do _know _you. He's killed at least a dozen teenage girls since the treaty came in to effect. He deserved to die more than Katie."

It made Emily sick to her stomach to admit it, but Sophia was right. She _did _know how Emily's mind worked and she'd chosen someone to take the fall for Katie; someone who deserved it. "And what's it going to cost me? To have you accuse him of attacking me?" She clenched her jaw and held her chin up high as her eyes burned in to Sophia's. She knew what the deal would be before Sophia's lips even parted to answer; Emily's life in exchange for Katie's.  
>"Nothing." Sophia caught her off guard and she was once again struggling to think straight. "I've already taken care of Marshall, the council just need you to confirm he was the one who attacked you; to make it a lawful killing."<br>"W-why?" Emily shook her head, unable to comprehend why Sophia would give up that kind of leverage just a day before Emily was due to turn eighteen; the age where she could be _lawfully_ turned.

She shrugged at her before bringing her hand up to caress Emily's cheek. The younger girl stiffened, but she didn't pull away. "Call it a show of goodwill? I want you to realise how much you mean to me Emily. I want to make you happy, and correct me if I'm wrong, but keeping your sister safe is part of making you happy." She brushed the pad of her thumb over her cheek, catching a stray tear that had fallen from her eye.  
>"Living makes me happy-" Emily was barely holding it together and the unexpected act of kindness was threatening to tear her apart. Sophia had been getting under her skin for weeks and the anger that she had used as a shield against her for so long was slowly slipping away. She was dangerously exposed as Sophia leant in close, her lips brushing against the smaller girl's as she whispered in a seductive purr.<br>"Oh Emily, being human isn't living; it's simply _existing. _Let me show you what living really is-"

"Unless you want me to show you what _dying _is really like, I'd take your hands off my daughter!" Jenna Fitch growled from the door, like a lioness protecting one of her cubs. Her accent was thicker than usual with the anger that was coursing through her. Sophia chuckled in response. She wasn't really fazed by the threat, but she pulled back anyway.  
>"Really Jenna? Is that any way to say thank you?"<br>"And why would I thank a _thing_ like you?" She snarled at the vampire that was standing between her and her daughter. Jenna had never been a supporter of a treaty with the vampires. She tolerated Samuel for her husband, and she would love Katie until the day she died, but she would _not _lose another child to their kind.

"Well because of me little Emily here can sleep soundly, knowing that I've taken care of the vampire that attacked her."  
>"Naomi-"<br>"No, mum…it was another vampire. He came out of nowhere when I was walking to Naomi's." Sophia's lips curled up in to a smug grin as Emily went along with her plan to frame Marshall. The man was a lowlife who attracted too much of the wrong kind of attention for his own good. He had almost drained one of Sophia's workers dry at her club, and that had been more than enough reason to fit him up for Emily's attack. She had been happy to rip him apart.

Jenna stared between the two of them, wearing the same dubious expression she would wear whenever the twins tried to lie to her. Eventually she gave in a little with a curt nod.  
>"Well, that is good news. <em>If <em>this Marshall did attack Emily, then I'm sure he got what was coming to him; as will any vampire that tries to hurt one of my babies."

Taking the hint, Sophia got to her feet, giving Emily one last lingering look as she headed to the door. "Markus will need to hear from you that Marshall was responsible."  
>"Ok." Emily nodded, a little surprised that the vampire was giving up so easily and leaving after her mother's warning. She should have known better.<br>"Oh, and happy birthday for tomorrow…though I'm sure I'll be seeing you." If looks could kill, then between the two Fitch women Sophia would have been a smouldering pile of ash on the carpet. Miraculously she left the hospital room in one piece though, leaving a heavy silence in the room behind her.  
>"Emily, that woman-"<br>"Please mum. Just don't." Emily sighed as she gingerly pressed at the dressing on her neck. She'd had to have stitches to repair the damage done by her sister's frantic attack and she was worried that it would result in yet another scar. "I know how you feel about her, but she really did help. She took out Marshall to protect me."

"At what cost?" Jenna crossed her arms over her chest as she scrutinised her youngest daughter. Emily had asked herself the same thing. She had after all inherited her own cynicism from her mother and she wasn't quite sure that Sophia had acted completely selflessly. Emily was in her debt and a day would come when Sophia would try to call it in. With her eighteen birthday only a day away, Emily was pretty certain that the vampire would try to cash in on that debt sooner rather than later.

**A/N: Sorry it's taken me ages to update again. This chapter was mostly just filler to deal with Emily's attack, the next few chapters should be a bit more action packed and I'm generally hoping they'll write themselves! As ever thanks for sticking with this story and I hope to have chapter 36 up a lot sooner. **


	36. Chapter 36

"Are you ok luv?" Jenna fussed over her eldest daughter, even though Emily was the one who had just been released from the hospital that morning.  
>"I feel sick." Katie grumbled as she held her stomach and slumped on to the sofa beside Jenna. She hadn't been feeling well since she'd fed from Emily. She had been putting it down to guilt, but even after Emily had forgiven her she still had unbearable cramp in her stomach. It probably had something to do with the way Emily was glaring at her from the chair on the other side of the room. Katie knew she was still mad at her, even if she was protecting her by sticking to her story about a random vampire attacking her. She'd told her what Sophia had done to help them and Katie had felt the knots in her stomach tighten. She wasn't sure if vampires could get ulcers, but if they could she would be a prime candidate.<p>

"Maybe it was something you ate?" Her mother suggested, without realising what she had said. Katie didn't eat people food anymore; she ate people. Jenna Fitch seemed to be happy in her constant state of denial though and she placed a hand on Katie's forehead to check her temperature.  
>"Yeah, or <em>someone.<em>" Emily grumbled under her breath. It was one thing to forgive, but she was a long way from forgetting.  
>"What was that, Emily?" Jenna asked, oblivious to the mounting tension between the twins.<br>"Nothing." Emily sighed. She'd only been home a few hours and she was already getting cabin fever. She picked up her phone to see what Naomi was up to, but she had barely started texting her when she heard a knock at the door.

"I got it!" Her dad called out as he made his way from the kitchen. Apart from James the rest of the Fitches were at home. They'd tried to keep as much from the youngest Fitch as they could, keeping him in his usual routine and shipping him off to school despite his objections. Rob opened the door with a friendly smile, but it soon faded as he took in the sight of the young blonde on his doorstep.  
>"Rob." She nodded at him, wringing her hands at her sides. She hadn't spoken to either of Emily's parents since they'd accused her of hurting Emily. She wasn't quite sure if Rob still wanted to kill her or not. If his frosty reception was anything to go by then there was a good chance he did.<p>

"Naomi." He nodded back at her, keeping his hand on the doorframe to make it clear he wasn't about to invite her in. "Emily's not really up to having visitors."  
>"Maybe she could tell me that herself?" Naomi challenged. She was four times Rob's age and she wasn't about to let him keep her away from Emily. She had a big surprise for her girlfriend and nothing short of a stake was going to stop her from seeing it. Rob shifted uncomfortably as he carried on staring her down.<br>"You might not have been the one who attacked Emily, but you're the one who let it happen. _You_ should have been there to protect her!"

"I know. I screwed up and I admit that; but trust me when I say that I have no intentions of letting her down again." She was going to do everything she could to keep Emily safe. Starting with protecting her from Katie. After all, if she couldn't keep Emily safe from her sister, then what chance would she have of defending her from Sophia? "Please Mr Fitch. Just give me one more chance." Rob looked over his shoulder at the closed living room door and sighed as he pulled his arm back to let her inside. Jenna wasn't going to be happy with him.  
>"Last chance." He glared at her before stepping aside to let her in. "Emily!" He knew better than to send Naomi in to the living room with three Fitch women. It would be like sending a lamb to the slaughter.<p>

Emily appeared at the door a few seconds later and a big grin split her face as she caught sight of the blonde. "Hey you. I was just about to call." She wrapped her arms around Naomi and pressed a kiss to her lips. Rob cleared his throat and pointed to the living room door as he moved uncomfortably towards it.  
>"I'll leave you two to it. You might want to make a quick getaway before your mother sees you."<br>"Thanks Dad." Emily pulled on her jacket and started pushing Naomi out of the door. "Thank god you're here. Between mum and Katie I was ready to crack up! I _so _need out of that house!"  
>"I think I can help with that." Naomi smirked as she slipped her hand in to Emily's. "I've got something to show you."<br>"What are you up to?" The smaller girl grinned as the blonde led her towards the car she'd borrowed from Cook. She opened the passenger door for Emily and closed it behind her, leaning in through the open window to kiss her.  
>"Wait and see."<p>

As much as Emily pressed her for information, Naomi kept their destination a secret. She drove in to the city centre and then headed down towards the quayside. "Where are we going?" Emily asked for the umpteenth time, growing restless from being cooped up in the car.  
>"Patience is a virtue Em." Naomi teased, taking her eyes off the road long enough to give her a sideways glance.<br>"That's easy for you to say, you're a hundred and forty-six!" Emily huffed at her. She didn't have to wait much longer to find out where they were going though as Naomi parked up outside a block of flats overlooking the water.

"Come on, your surprise is inside." Naomi led the curious teenager inside the towering building and they took the lift all the way up to the top floor. The lift opened up on to a long corridor with a door on each side and one at the end. Naomi led her to the door at the end.  
>"What are we doing here?" Emily quizzed, though she already had a pretty good idea as the other girl pulled out a bunch of keys from her pocket and slipped one of them in to the lock on the door. Once it was unlocked Naomi stepped aside and ushered Emily in first. The other girl's eyes lit up at the sight of the place. The apartment was on the corner of the building, meaning Emily was met with the sight of two walls of glass windows looking out over the city and the water; though they were high enough up to avoid anyone being able to see them. The living room, kitchen and dining room were all one big open plan room, with two doors on the right hand side that presumably led to a bedroom and a bathroom. The furniture was minimal, all sleek and modern with a kitchen full of gadgets that Emily's mother would go nuts for.<p>

"This is amazing. Are you renting this place?" Emily asked over her shoulder as she walked over to one of the glass walls and peered down at the water below. Naomi smiled as she watched her. Tiny hunter really was fearless. Walking up behind her she slipped her arms around Emily's waist and brought her chin to rest on her shoulder as they took in the impressive view before them.  
>"I bought it." She laughed as Emily let out a squeal at that.<br>"How could you afford it? This place has got to cost some serious money, Naoms!"  
>"I'm a hundred and forty-six, remember? I know how to save." She chuckled as she pressed a kiss to Emily's neck. The other girl let out an involuntary whimper as she pressed further back against the blonde. It felt like it had been a lifetime since they'd just enjoyed spending time alone together; without having to worry about vampires or hunters, or anybody trying to kill them.<p>

"Well I hope you know you won't be getting rid of me now you have your own place! God knows I need somewhere to go to get out of that house!" Emily sighed as she placed her hands over Naomi's at her waist and craned her neck back, letting the other girl carry on kissing her.  
>"I don't think you understand." Naomi pulled back with a playful smile and dangled the keys in front of Emily's face. "This isn't my place… It's yours."<br>"What?" Emily shrieked, spinning around to face the blonde with a look of pure confusion. "I can't… you… I can't let you buy me a flat!"  
>"Too bad I already did." Naomi shrugged and pulled her in close for a well-deserved kiss. "Just call it an early birthday present."<br>"Naomi, this is too much!" Emily sighed in to the kiss, though she couldn't deny the thought of having her own place, away from Katie and her parents, was a tempting one. She couldn't let her girlfriend spend all of her savings on her though.  
>"No, this is me keeping you safe. I can't put a price on that Em." She ran the pad of her thumb over Emily's cheek as she pressed the keys in to her hand. "I almost lost you the other night. I can't go through that again. I can't lose the only thing in my life that makes me feel alive." She felt like she had been sleep walking for the three decades she had spent recovering from being with Sophia and now that she was finally awake she wanted to hold on to that feeling; no matter the cost.<p>

"This is a seriously cool flat." Emily gave up fighting as a huge grin spread across her lips. No one had ever given her something so big before. It wasn't just four walls and a roof either; it was her freedom. Come midnight she would be eighteen, and legally an adult. She would have her own home and a girlfriend who loved her endlessly; granted she would still have a two thousand year old vampire hell-bent on killing her stealing that life from her, but she would take the good with the bad. As she wrapped her arms around Naomi's neck and brought their lips together in a place they could call theirs, it was definitely a good day.

"I was thinking we could have a party tomorrow night? Sort of a house warming come birthday party? For you and Katie, if you wanted? What do you think?" Naomi suggested, wanting to do something to make Emily's birthday special. The vampire had lived through countless birthdays and after a while they meant very little to her. She couldn't even say for certain that she knew her actual date of birth anymore; but Emily was human and turning eighteen. It was a big deal and Naomi wanted to be there to help her celebrate it with all of their friends.  
>"I think that's a great idea." Emily agreed, biting at her lip as she walked backwards, tugging the blonde over to one of the side doors. "And we should definitely talk about it…after you show me the bedroom." She giggled in to Naomi's mouth as they shared another kiss and Naomi pushed her back up against the door she had been reaching for, her skilled lips once again going to Emily's neck and making her crave their attention elsewhere.<br>"That's a good idea too, but this is the bathroom." She nodded at the door behind Emily and was rewarded with a playful bite from the smaller girl and a sensuous smile.  
>"I guess we'll just have to start there then, won't we?" <p>

* * *

><p>"Nice one! Naom's just text me about a party for the twins tomorrow night. Should be a good one." Cook guffawed as he put his phone back down on the table and picked up his pint instead. Effy sat beside him nursing a vodka and coke. They were sitting in Keith's pub so she didn't need to worry about being overheard as she brought up the reason she'd asked him out for a drink in the first place.<br>"I want to do it tomorrow night."  
>"Really?" Cook leered at her as he leant in close, his breath stinking of cigarettes and stale beer. "You want to bring your girlfriend in on the action? Because I've got to say babe, I'd be well up for a bit of you Katie." He laughed as he was met by Effy's cold hard stare.<br>"You know what I'm talking about."

"Yeah, I do. That's all I'm good for to you isn't it? To turn you so and Princess fucking Katie can run off in to the sunset?" He growled bitterly as he finished his pint like it was a shot. He'd been drawn to Effy when he'd picked up his sire's bloodline running through her, but Effy had made it clear from the start she only wanted one thing from him; and it wasn't his eighty years of experience in the bedroom.  
>"Cook." Effy placed a hand on his arm, trying for the softer approach. His mood had been up and down for days and she didn't want to risk him changing his mind about turning her. "Please, I <em>need <em>you to do this for me. I want it to be tomorrow, for Katie's birthday. After the party, ok?"  
>"Fine." Cook huffed, his attention already on a group of girls in short skirts at the bar. Effy took his chin in her hand and wrenched his head to look at her, her expression serious.<br>"Save your appetite. You'll be draining me dry tomorrow…and we both know the only thing better than fucking me is eating me." She shot him a wink as she pressed a kiss to his cheek. He glared back at her as he pushed himself to his feet to head over to the bar for something stronger than a pint. He fucking hated how she was always right. By the time he got back from the bar, after spending some time flirting with the group of girls there, Effy was gone.

"Can you believe that crazy bitch bought her a flat? I mean a flat!" Katie hadn't shut up about Naomi's gift to Emily since she'd arrived at Effy's. Her girlfriend didn't mind lying on the sofa listening to her rant about Naomi though. It felt normal; and after the crazy few weeks they'd been through normal was just fine with Effy. Things would change again after Katie's birthday anyway. "And of course mum's freaking out! Dad had to lock up all the knives from her in his tool shed! It's probably for the best though. I mean I don't think Em wanted to share a room with me again tonight. I was going to stay over here so she could have our room." Katie sighed. She still felt terrible about what she had done, though at least her stomach had settled itself down a bit.

"You can still say?" Effy suggested, tipping her chin up to catch Katie's lips and to add more weight to the suggestion. She felt Katie stiffen as her teeth brushed over her lips.  
>"Maybe I should go home. You're still human and I-" Effy cut her off with another kiss, this one much more forceful as she sat up and straddled the other girl. They were both breathing hard by the time she pulled back and Katie's eyes had darkened. They were fixed on the pulse point in Effy's neck and she had to tip the smaller girl's chin up to get her attention.<br>"I trust you… Stay." It wasn't a question and with her girlfriend sitting on top of her she didn't have much choice about moving anyway, so she nodded in agreement; struggling to keep looking at Effy's face and not her neck.

"Good, because it's almost midnight and I want to give you _my _present. It's not a house but…" She pulled out a small gift box from the pocket of her short denim skirt. Katie wasn't sure how she'd been able to hide _that _from her given the size of Effy's skirt, but her eyes lit up at the sight of it. She didn't care if it wasn't a house. It was something from Effy to her and she would treasure it no matter what it was.

"Happy birthday." Effy kissed her cheek and then shifted to sit beside her so she could watch her open the little box. Katie gasped as she pulled back the lid. Sitting on the velvet cushioning of the gift box was a gold necklace. It was quite plain and nowhere near as expensive as a flat by the quayside, but it was gorgeous. There was a simple chunky heart pendant on the end of it and Katie's fingers fumbled as she caught sight of an inscription on the back. "Forever yours." Effy read it out loud for her as Katie's eyes were full of tears and she couldn't focus on the tiny lettering. She let out a sob, but it was a happy kind of crying and she was beaming as Effy leant forward to put the necklace on for her. She caught her lips before she pulled away and her hands became tangled in Effy's long locks as she pulled her in closer.

They ended up lying back down on the sofa, with Effy's lithe frame draped over Katie and covering her like a comforting blanket. Their kisses became more feverish as Effy's hands found their way under Katie's shirt. The smaller girl gasped in to her mouth as she pushed her bra up out of the way and then dipped her head to kiss the exposed skin. "No! Eff! Wait!" Katie pushed her away with a growl and moved away from her to the other side of the seat. It had taken everything in her to stop Effy's wonderful mouth from carrying on. If she sat too close her resolve would break and she didn't want to be responsible for what would happen. "We can't…I can't risk hurting you!"  
>"You won't!" Effy insisted. She knew Katie wanted to wait until they were both turned, so as not to risk hurting her lover; but Effy had faith in her and not waiting was her way of proving it.<br>"I nearly fucking killed my sister, Eff! If I did anything to you…if I got you killed-"  
>"You won't." Effy spoke more firmly as she wrapped her hands around Katie's thighs and pulled her back towards her. Her shirt rode up; exposing the soft flesh of her stomach and Effy dipped her head to place a kiss against her hip bone and kept her gaze locked on to Katie's. "I trust you." She smirked as her teeth nipped at the spot she'd just kissed. Katie let out a very human growl; the fight finally leaving her.<p>

**A/N: As ever, thanks for reading and sticking with this fic. It's been going a while but we're almost at the end! I figure there are maybe another 2 or 3 chapters left (and the ending is already done, has been for a while) so I've set myself the challenge of finishing this fic off this month. With a bit of luck the next chapter should be up pretty soon.  
><strong>


	37. Chapter 37

Emily stretched out as she lay in bed in_ her_ new apartment. The sun was streaming through the floor to ceiling windows, basking Emily in a warm glow as it fell across the bed. It still all felt a bit surreal to her. She'd gone back to her parents' house to tell them she was moving out and to pick up a few of her things. Her mum had hit the roof, and even her dad hadn't been too happy, but there wasn't much they could do about it. She was eighteen, an adult in the eyes of the law. She could move in to a flat with her girlfriend if she wanted to; even if her girlfriend was over a hundred years old and a vampire. She wasn't quite sure where Naomi was, she'd woken up alone. Pushing the covers back she climbed out of bed and decided to go looking for her.

She smiled as she opened the bedroom door and found the blonde standing by the fridge, rustling about inside of it. Slipping quietly across the room, her bare feet barely making a sound on the hardwood floor, she tried to creep up behind her. Naomi turned at the very last second though, scooping her up and sitting her down on the kitchen bench as she leant in for a lingering kiss. Emily giggled in to her mouth as she kissed her back; it wasn't like she'd had any real hope of sneaking up on the other girl, given that she could hear a pin drop from a mile away. "You're supposed to be in bed." Naomi pointed out as she finally pulled back from the smaller girl, though she kept her arms wrapped around her waist. "That's the whole point of breakfast in bed." She gestured to the impressive spread already sitting waiting for her on a tray on the other bench. She'd made a full English breakfast for her and even had a little pot of tea.

Emily's lips curled up in to a grin at the gesture. "Aww, that's so sweet babe! I'm up now so we might as well use the dining table-"  
>"Uh uh!" Naomi shook her head at her. "I planned on breakfast in bed, so you're getting breakfast in bed!" She picked the other girl up and slung her over her shoulder in a fireman's lift. Emily was still giggling as Naomi dropped her on to the bed and leant in for another kiss before ordering her to stay as she went back to the kitchen to fetch her breakfast. Emily did as she was told and lay back in bed, savouring the view of the city through the full length windows. It was early June and there was barely a cloud in the sky. The days were getting warmer since summer had finally graced the city with its presence, and in a little over a month Emily would be done with college. She'd applied to a few universities, including Bristol, though she hadn't really thought about the future much over the last few months; she'd been living one day at a time and ever since Sophia had turned up she'd felt like she was living on borrowed time. For the first time in a while she was actually thinking about her future and her options, and it felt good to worry about something other than vampires for a change.<p>

She didn't get very long to herself to contemplate where her life was headed as her phone started ringing. She scooted over to grab it from the bedside table and found Katie's name flashing up on the screen. She paused for a moment before she answered, still unsure of how to feel about her twin after what she had tried to do to her. Despite her anger towards the other girl, she understood what her motivations had been and she knew that finally turning eighteen would be hard on Katie considering she would never again age like Emily. In a few short years they would no longer look like twins; eventually Katie would look more like Emily's daughter than her twin. The younger girl would be lying if that thought didn't scare her.

The whole idea of growing up and getting old was terrifying to any eighteen year old, but Emily knew better than most that her clock was already counting down. Few hunters ever made it to the age of retirement. Her grandfather Michael had been a rare exception, eventually dying of natural causes at the grand old age of seventy-four; but then the man had brokered peace between their kind and the vampires, and he wasn't exactly a typical hunter. The twins had been fairly young when Michael had died and Emily couldn't remember much about him, other than that he had a thick bushy white beard that reminded her of Father Christmas. He had killed Sophia's maker long before Emily had even been born, setting in to motion the events that had led to Emily being marked for turning.

"Hey Katie. Happy Birthday!" The younger twin tried to sound happy and carefree and it must have worked because her sister let out an excited squeal down the phone.  
>"Happy Birthday babe! How's the flat? I'm <em>so <em>jealous! Can't wait to see it tonight! Are Mum and Dad coming to the party?" Katie barely paused for breath as she berated her younger twin with questions and Emily felt like things were almost returning to normal between them. They were both trying so hard to pretend that things were ok and although their shared birthday was an ominous mile stone for Emily, it was also a chance for them to unwind and enjoy themselves. Naomi's idea to throw a party had been a stroke of brilliance.

"No, Mum wants me home for tea tonight then we're both coming back to the flat for the party. Naomi's going to get some drink in and some food and that." Emily flashed her girlfriend a smile as she slipped in to the bedroom carrying the tray with her breakfast on. "I'll see you at Mum and Dad's around five, yeah?" She brushed Katie off, her stomach growling in anticipation.  
>"Fitch family dinner, huh?" Naomi rolled her eyes as she settled herself beside Emily on the bed. "Have fun with that."<br>"It's tradition." Emily laughed and picked up a slice of buttery toast. "We always have birthday dinners; besides, this is a big one. I'm not sure my parents even thought I'd make it to eighteen…" She trailed off, her good mood threatening to vanish.  
>"You'll still be having birthday dinners when you're eighty if I've got anything to do with it." Naomi grinned and pressed a kiss to the other girl's cheek.<p>

"God, I hope not!" Emily laughed, forgetting all about her breakfast as she pulled the blonde in for another kiss. "When I'm eighty I want to be senile and sitting in my rocking chair, talking to my cats!"  
>"That's some aspiration Fitch!" Naomi giggled, wrapping her arms around the smaller girl and pulling her on top of her. "But if it's what you want, I'll make it happen. I promise." <p>

* * *

><p>"Shit."Effy cursed as she pulled on her tank top, the fabric rubbing against the deep scratches marring her back.<br>"I'm sorry, baby." Katie muttered sheepishly. It was a miracle she hadn't done anything worse to her. She had come close to losing it a few times, but Effy had somehow kept her from going too far. She'd let her feed from her, and that had been _interesting _to say the least, with her fangs deep inside Effy's thigh and the other girl's fingers wrapped in her hair.  
>"It's fine." Effy shrugged her apology off with an easy smile. "They'll heal. Come tonight they won't even matter. I've sorted everything with Cook, the three of us are going to slip away from the party once everyone's too off their heads to notice us going."<p>

"Are you sure you want this?" Katie questioned as she tore her eyes away from the marks on Effy's body, the marks she was responsible for. She had been thinking a lot about how opposed to being turned Emily was. Her attitude was a stark contrast to Effy's and she wanted to make sure the other girl understood what she was getting in to. Being made in to a vampire had its perks, but it was no picnic. Katie faced a daily struggle to keep the monster inside of her at bay; a battle she had lost when she'd attacked her own sister. She needed to know that Effy understood what she was asking for.

Effy caught sight of Katie's apprehension and took a seat beside her on the edge of her bed, covering one of her hands with her own. "More than anything." Her stark honesty threw Katie a little bit; she wasn't used to her being so open. She hadn't even known about Effy's desire to be turned, nor her family connection to Naomi, until she had confided in her after Katie herself had been turned. Effy had never shared her motivation for wanting to become a vampire, besides the obvious perks of immortal youth and life. She shifted nervously beside the smaller girl, still reluctant to give up some of her secrets. Her family weren't the 'sharing' type. She wasn't used to talking about feelings or admitting that she was afraid; but Effy Stonem was terrified of what she would become if Cook didn't turn her.

"My Dad's mum has schizophrenia, her mum had it too, and her uncle and one of my dad's sisters." Effy started and then paused, as though struggling to find the words she needed. "My mum's side isn't much better. Cancer, manic depression, Alzheimer's…Being turned isn't about living forever, not for me…it's about keeping my mind. I don't want to get so lost that I forget who I am, and I can already feel it Katie; niggling away at my mind every day, taking a little more of me away every second…" Katie was lost for words as she stared up at her girlfriend. She had always looked up to Effy, like some magnificent and infallible goddess in human form; it was almost painful to be reminded that she was only human.  
>"You won't have to worry about any of that, not after tonight." Katie took both of her hands in hers and gave them a gentle squeeze as she pressed a soft kiss to Effy's cheek. Her passion to be turned was almost as strong as Emily's will to stay human and Katie had no intentions of denying her what she wanted. Had she not been afraid of killing her she would have turned her herself there and then. As it was she would have to wait and put her trust in Cook. It was easier said than done, given that the man had his own twisted motives for doing everything, but Effy seemed to have faith in him and that would just have to be good enough for Katie.<p>

Reluctantly she tore herself away from her lover. She'd promised her mum she would help with dinner and it was already pushing midday. She and Effy had spent most of the morning in bed and Katie wasn't sure she could think of a better way to spend her birthday. She was glad they had finally taken things further and she felt a little proud of herself that she had been able to sleep with the other girl without losing her control completely. She was slowly learning to keep a handle on her hunger and her temper; though by morning Effy would be her equal again and she wouldn't need to worry about hurting her. No, she'd just have Emily and the rest of her family to worry about.

"Hey." She greeted Emily in the kitchen as she dropped her bag on to the table. The younger twin jumped, not having heard her come in. She almost spilt the glass of water she was hovering over and she hastily pocketed a small bottle of something that Katie didn't recognise. "Spiking your drinks already?" She teased, earning a scowl from her twin.  
>"It's just something to settle my stomach actually." Emily used her finger to stir the powdery water until it turned clear.<br>"Could I have some? My guts are still doing cartwheels." Feeding on Effy had helped to flush some of Emily's blood out of her system, but the older twin still felt spasms of pain coming from her stomach.  
>"I'm pretty sure Alka-Seltzer doesn't work on fangers." Emily rolled her eyes; though she wore a teasing smile to let Katie know she wasn't being completely serious as she downed the glass of water in one go. She grimaced at the taste of it before rinsing the glass out and putting it on the draining board.<br>"Bitch." Katie shot back with a smirk of her own. "So who's coming to our party tonight then?"

"Usual crowd." Emily shrugged. Naomi hadn't really gone in to the details much, but she guessed it would be the normal college crowd and maybe a few friends of friends to make up the numbers. "I can tell you _one _person who won't be getting an invite." Sophia would be a fool to show up and cause trouble with so many humans around.  
>"Has she tried anything yet? I mean, you're eighteen today. That's legal for vamps…" The subject was still a sore point between them and Katie didn't like to bring it up, but they couldn't just bury their heads in the sand. Emily was of legal age to be turned and Sophia had already been waiting fifteen long years to cash in her claim on her.<br>"I haven't heard from her." Emily shrugged, her fingers brushing against the small glass bottle in her pocket like a comfort blanket. "That doesn't mean she isn't planning something though."

"So what do we do if she turns up?" Katie was apprehensive about facing the older vampire again. It wasn't that she was afraid of what Sophia could do to her, she was afraid of what she could make her do to Emily. The other woman had a way of twisting things to her advantage and Katie had a pretty big debt hanging over her head.  
>"Don't worry about it." Emily surprised her as she pulled her in for a hug. It was physically the closest the twins had been in days. As Emily pulled back she wore a secretive smile, as though she knew something that Katie didn't. "I've got a plan of my own."<br>"Since when?" Katie snapped, suddenly feeling out of the loop as she chased after her sister, following her upstairs. "Ems? Since when? I thought it was all fucking doom and gloom for Team Fitch?"

"It was." The younger twin shrugged again as she walked over to her wardrobe and pulled out the dress she had been saving specially for her birthday. She and Katie had gone shopping months back and had spent hours in town looking for the perfect birthday dresses for themselves. A few short months ago that had seemed like the most important thing in the world. She ran her fingers over the red silk, smiling as she pictured what Naomi's face would look like when she caught sight of her in it.

"So what changed?" Katie pressed, but trying to get a straight answer out of her sister was next to impossible. "Emily! What's changed? What happened?"  
>"You proved something for me." The younger twin pulled the little glass bottle out of her pocket and tossed it at Katie. She caught it with one hand and brought it up to her face to read the worn and faded label on the bottle. Her eyes narrowed as she realised what it was and she almost let it slip through her fingers. She felt her stomach twisting just at the sight of it.<br>"What the fuck Em? This was Grandpa Michael's!"  
>"Now it's mine. It's my insurance policy in case <em>any <em>fanger tries to turn me." Katie got the message as Emily pocketed the bottle again, keeping it safe.

"Oh my god, you were just drinking it like it was a fucking milkshake or something! It could kill you Em! I mean_ really _kill you, fucking game over _dead_!"  
>"Yeah? Well with a little luck I'll take Sophia with me!" Emily snapped back. She wasn't in the mood to argue. They were supposed to be getting ready for one of the most important birthdays of their lives, possibly even Emily's last one. She wasn't about to let Sophia ruin something else for her. "Look, just forget about it, ok? Let's have dinner with Mum, Dad and the perv, and then we'll go back to mine and get pissed on cheap champagne with all of our friends. Sound good?"<p>

"Yeah." Katie nodded, though she was still sulking a little as she took out her own dress. It was similar to Emily's, though instead of the red it was a deep purple, made of silk with a low neck line and it hugged all of her curves in the right places. Katie had been dying to wear it, but she didn't feel as excited as she should have. All she could think about was the little bottle that had once belonged to their grandfather. It had been his insurance policy too, something to ensure that if any vampire ever tried to turn him it would kill them both. Emily had obviously gotten her hands on it somehow; and the agony that Katie had been in since feeding from her was proof that the small amount she had been taking worked. She'd upped the dose the second she'd gotten out of the hospital and there was nothing Katie could say or do to talk her out of it.

The older twin let out a sigh before giving her a stark warning. "Just be careful, ok? Sophia's not stupid, and if she figures out what you're doing-"  
>"Katie, please… This is the only way I know for sure I won't be turned. If Sophia kills me then I won't come back as a fanger!"<br>"It's not so bad Em! I know it doesn't seem like it, but I am getting more in control of this thing every day! It doesn't have to change who you are-"  
>"You almost ripped my throat out two days ago, that's not control! I'm sorry… I love you, and Naomi, and there is a tiny part of me that<em> wants <em>to just give in and let her turn me so that I can stay with the two of you; but that would mean she'd win. Even if it wasn't her, if it was you or Naomi or Gina, Sophia would still get exactly what she wants, and I can't let that happen…I've been fighting this thing my whole life. I can't just give in. That's not who I am! It's not who _we _are!"

"Fight like a Fitch, yeah?" The older twin managed a weak smile as she finally gave in, but it only lingered on her lips for a few seconds. "Just be careful, yeah? I'd like to think there's some chance you make it through this alive."  
>"Me too." Emily wasn't exactly holding her breath; but given the choice she would have liked to make it to see her next birthday. <p>

**A/N: So the plan was to have this finished by the end of this month, but my work shifts have changed and I haven't had much time to write. There should be another 2 chapters to come and with a little luck and not much sleep I should have this finished by the weekend. **


	38. Chapter 38

"Shit." Emily cursed as she looked down at her phone to read the text she'd just received in the middle of dinner. She'd been holding her breath all day, waiting for Sophia to make a move or get in touch with her and she'd chosen the most inappropriate time. They were just about finishing up with dinner, her mother heading off to fetch the twins' birthday cake and the girls were due to head back to Emily's within the hour. She sent a quick text back, telling her it wasn't a good time as she was in the middle of dinner. Less than thirty seconds later she received one back from the vampire, informing her that Emily was part of _her _dinner plans for the evening.

Emily hid her phone out of sight as her mother came back in to the dining room, carrying a bright pink frosted cake with eighteen lit candles and her dad started off singing '_Happy Birthday'_ to his little girls. She shared a smile with Katie as they stood at the top of the table, hovering over the cake as though they were about to blow out the candles while Rob took a photo with his camera. It was one of many family traditions and the normalcy of everything felt so surreal; given that Emily was fighting off the advances of a two thousand year old vampire and Katie was now a bloodsucking member of the undead herself. She closed her eyes, savouring the moment to make a wish before blowing out her candles.

Once the cake had been cut and the girls had shared a glass of wine with their parents, Emily pulled her twin aside, needing to ask her a favour. "I need to leave now and you need to go along with it with mum and dad."  
>"Why?" Katie frowned. They still had plenty of time before they were due at the party. Effy was supposed to be picking them up at eight.<br>"Sophia." Emily growled the name out as though it should have been obvious. "She wants to see me and I don't want a lecture from mum, can you just go to Eff's and I'll meet you at the flat?"  
>"I could come with you?" Katie suggested, even though they both knew it was a little late for her to be playing the big sister.<br>"I've got it." The younger twin reassured her. She just needed Katie to have her back in getting out of the house early.

Their parents seemed to buy their story that they were leaving early to help with the party decorations and they managed to slip away after a few hugs and some tears from their nostalgic father as he gave his 'babies' a kiss to the forehead each. They ordered a taxi and Emily climbed out at Sophia's, letting Katie carry on to Effy's and promising to be on time for the party.

Emily pulled her black shawl around her shoulders as she felt a chill in the air walking across the road to Sophia's apartment block. Her long red silk dress and softly curled hair gave her a very twenties look that matched the décor of the reception. She felt the eyes of the young man behind the desk lingering on her and she self-consciously pulled the front of her dress up. The plunging neckline had been intended for her girlfriend, not some pubescent lackey in Sophia's lair of doom. Holding her head up high she crossed the floor and headed straight towards the lift, as though she was perfectly at home in the building. In truth she was practically shaking in her skin. She wasn't sure what Sophia's game plan would be, but she knew it would involve trying to talk or bribe her in to being turned. Emily was eighteen now and the stakes had most certainly been upped.

She pressed the button for Sophia's floor and somehow managed to force herself to keep going all the way up to her door. She paused as she was about to knock, suddenly losing her nerve. The door swung open before she could go anywhere though. Sophia stood openly leering at her as she took in the sight of the eighteen year-old in the low cut red dress with matching heels that added a good couple of inches to her height. "You look amazing." Her voice was a low husk as she raked her eyes over Emily's body.  
>"Well it's not meant for you." Emily snapped petulantly, crossing her arms over her chest; until she realised that was just pushing her breasts up and attracting Sophia's attention.<br>"Someone's eager." The vampire laughed as Emily rolled her eyes and pushed past her to get inside.  
>"I'm in a hurry! It's my birthday Sophia, and I don't want to spend it with <em>you! <em>So just hurry up and feed so I can get out of here!"

"Really?" Sophia purred, slipping up behind her to remove Emily's black silk shawl from around her shoulders, exposing the creamy flesh to her lips. "And here I just thought you were keen to have me inside of you again." She flashed her fangs with a smile to emphasise her point and Emily let out a shaky breath as she felt them pressing against her throat. She couldn't hide her body's reaction to Sophia and she hated herself for it. She still had control of her mouth though and she set out to prove it as she pulled away from the older woman.  
>"Not my neck. I don't want any marks on show."<p>

"Hmmm…so where should I bite then?" Sophia's eyes dropped lower, sending Emily's heart racing against her chest. The sound of it was like a pounding bass drum to Sophia's sensitive ears and a smug smile crept across her lips as she closed the distance between them again.  
>"This is bullshit!" Emily objected, trying to take a step back but finding herself pressed up against the wall in the small hallway. "You're ancient; you don't even need to feed that often! You're just doing this to be a bitch!" Emily wasn't just panicking about the vampire leaving marks. She was worried that she would pick up on what was coursing through the younger girl's veins and Emily's insurance plan would be ruined. Sophia would probably be more than a little pissed at her too; maybe even murderous when she figured out what Emily was trying to do. She had to put her off feeding from her.<p>

Sophia let out a soft chuckle as she brought her hand up to caress Emily's cheek, her touch soft and tentative. "My favourite wine has just matured; you can't blame me for wanting a little _taste._"  
>"We both know that's not what you really want." Emily dropped her voice to a husky whisper, catching the other woman off guard as she stared her straight in the eye, forcing herself not to look away. She hated herself for what she was about to do, but she couldn't let Sophia feed from her again until she was ready to drain her. It was the only way what Emily was planning could work.<br>"And what is it I-" Sophia was cut off as Emily brought their lips together. The vampire was momentarily stunned, but it didn't take long for her to start kissing Emily back. Her hands snaked around her waist, pulling the smaller girl in closer against her as her tongue ran across her lips, seeking permission to taste Emily in another way.

The younger girl complied, telling herself she was doing it to save her life as she felt a moan rip its way from her throat. A moment later a sharp pain shot through her tongue and she tasted blood at the back of her throat, the heavy copper tang unmistakable. Sophia pulled back with a satisfied smirk as she licked at the blood still on her lips. "See, no mark." Emily saw red, quite literally, as she swung for the other girl. Her fist connected with thin air as Sophia moved too fast for her. She caught the hunter's clenched fist and used her momentum against her to send her slamming up against the wall. She laughed cruelly in Emily's ear as the redhead struggled against her. "What's stopping me from tearing this pretty little dress right off you? Hmm?" She growled, her lips so close that they brushed against Emily's ear. Emily felt paralyzed with fear as the vampire's lips moved to her throat, her fangs once again grazing the soft flesh there. The honest answer was _nothing. _Sophia was stronger and faster and there wasn't a damn thing Emily could do to stop her from doing whatever she wanted. Whether that was to have her way with her, or to turn her, it didn't matter. The only thing that could stop the twisted older vampire was running through Emily's veins; and even then Sophia would have to drain her dry for it to work.

"Sophia…" Emily breathed out, her voice trembling as she tried to control her fear. It was easier said than done though and she felt like she was going to have a heart attack if she didn't get her pulse under control.  
>"Relax Emily." The other girl purred as she kissed at her neck. "I've already told you it's going to be your choice. You're going to beg me to turn you…you're going to beg me for<em> everything." <em>And just like that she pulled away, leaving Emily dazed and still breathing heavily up against the wall. She closed her eyes, trying to focus on regaining her composure before turning to face her tormentor.

"I hate you!" She glared at her, wishing she could set the vampire on fire just by the power of sight. Sophia chuckled patronizingly as she stepped back to open the door for her.  
>"Love and hate are two sides of the same coin, sweetheart. Shouldn't you be getting to your party? I'm sure Naomi's waiting for you." Emily felt a stab of pain at the thought of Naomi waiting for her to turn up at the home they now shared. She had kissed Sophia as a means to distract her from feeding on her, but the sharp taste of blood at the back of her throat still felt like a betrayal.<br>"I will_ never_ love you Sophia." Emily scowled as she headed for the door. "I'm not sure anybody could ever love you."  
>"Naomi did once." Sophia took great pleasure in pointing that out to the younger girl as she followed her to the door. "I'm not sure she ever stopped." Emily clenched her fists again, but given how well that had gone for her earlier she stopped herself from lashing out; Physically at least.<br>"Trust me, she did." 

* * *

><p>"Where the fuck have you been?" Katie glared as Emily finally turned up on Effy's doorstep a few minutes before they were due to be at the party. Emily had needed to walk off some of her fury after her visit to Sophia and had ended up running late for meeting Katie and Effy. They would still have to get across the city on a Saturday night, and even Effy's driving couldn't get them there on time.<br>"You look great by the way." Effy offered the younger twin a genuine smile and wished her a happy birthday.  
>"Thanks, you too." The other girl was wearing a little black dress with her hair tied up in an elaborately braided bun. She looked older somehow and it was clear she had gone to a lot of effort for the party; clearly for Katie's benefit. The two of them seemed closer than ever and there had been a definite glow on Katie's cheeks all afternoon. Emily decided not to ask about it. There were some things about her twin's life that she didn't need to know; like if she and Effy had finally fucked.<p>

The three girls climbed in to Effy's mum's car and headed off to Emily's flat, picking Panda and Thomas up on the way. Panda talked excitedly non-stop all the way over, asking Emily what it was like to have her own place and to live with her girlfriend. Emily tried her best to be polite, but her mind was elsewhere and she was grateful when Effy bluntly told Panda to leave the younger twin alone.

By the time Thomas and the girls reached the flat there were already half a dozen people from college there, including Freddie, JJ and Cook. Cook pulled both of the twins in for a big bear hug, jovially wishing them a good birthday. Freddie gave them a more reserved wave, while JJ demonstrated a new magic trick for them, which involved him making a birthday card appear out of thin air. The twins had to do the rounds of the room, greeting their guests and thanking them for coming, but Emily managed to slip away and leave Katie to it as she spotted Naomi over by the kitchen. There was plenty of food and a seemingly endless supply of alcohol. She wrapped her arms around her girlfriend, pulling her in for a kiss as she thanked her for the party. Naomi frowned as they pulled away, her tongue darting out across her lips.

"Are you bleeding?" She leant in close to the smaller girl to avoid being overheard by the teens milling around them. Emily hadn't stopped to think about how Naomi would pick up on the taste of blood in her mouth, even long after the bite to her tongue had healed.  
>"I bit my tongue when Effy went over a speed bump." She lied, not wanting to upset the blonde by bringing up her visit to Sophia. She just wanted one night without them having to talk about Naomi's ex.<p>

"Happy birthday, Em!" Talking of exes, Emily was a little surprised when Mandy walked up to her and held out a card and a small gift box.  
>"Hey, thanks." She took the gifts and kissed the other girl's cheek as she leant in for a hug. They shared a few minutes of small talk before Mandy made her way back over to the date she'd brought, a blonde girl who looked to be a couple of years older. Emily turned to Naomi with a wide smile spread across her lips as she laced their hands together. "Thank you for doing all of this and inviting everyone. This really means a lot to me."<br>"I know." Naomi beamed back, kissing the tip of the redhead's nose. "I wanted to give you a nice day. Oh, and I've got a present for you. It's in the bedroom."

"I bet it is." Emily smiled coyly, enjoying the way Naomi's eyes lingered over her lips.  
>"It's not <em>that.<em>" The blonde laughed as she shook her head. "Come on, I'll show you." Keeping hold of Emily's hand she navigated them through the sea of bodies in their living room and slipped in to the bedroom on the other side of the flat. Closing the door behind them, Naomi switched on the light and moved over to the dresser to pull a small gift box out of the top drawer.  
>"Happy birthday, Em." She handed it over, biting her lip with anxiety as she waited for the redhead to open it. When Emily finally unwrapped the ribbon and opened up the box she let out a gasp at the sight of what was inside. The ring was beautiful. The band was simple but it was topped with an infinity symbol in the shape of a heart. It was also solid silver.<br>"Wait-" Emily started as Naomi moved to pick it out of the box for her. She winced as the blonde touched the silver, but nothing happened. She had forgotten that silver didn't affect Naomi in the same way it did other vampires. She was one of the few vamps in existence that wasn't allergic to the precious metal.

"Relax, it won't hurt me." Naomi picked up on her fears as she placed the ring on her finger, happy with the snug fit. "I thought the silver would be perfect. It goes with anything, and you could always use it to choke a vamp if you lose your knife." She teased, earning a giggle from the other girl."  
>"It's beautiful. Thank you." Emily rewarded her doting girlfriend with a long lingering kiss that had them both worked up by the time they pulled apart. "Do you think people would notice if we just stayed in here for the rest of the night?" She sighed, her hands slipping under Naomi's top as she kissed at her neck.<br>"Probably." Naomi chuckled, somehow finding the strength to pull away from Emily's touch. "Come on, let me finish giving you the best birthday day ever…then I can make your _night_ later." 

* * *

><p>"Do you think anyone noticed us going?" Katie asked for the fifth time since they'd slipped out of Naomi and Emily's flat to make their way to Cook's. She glanced nervously over her shoulder as though she expected Emily to have followed them. She'd been certain that her twin would have picked up on her unease, but she'd been too wrapped up in Naomi to notice the panic that was building up inside of Katie.<br>"You probably should have stayed at the party." Cook grumbled his reply as he worked on unlocking his front door, a cigarette hanging loosely between his lips. "Avoided suspicion and all that."

"Like hell was I leaving you with _my _girlfriend!" Katie snapped at him. Just because he was helping them it didn't mean Katie had to like it. She would have much rather preferred to turn Effy herself, or at the very least had someone else turn her, like Naomi or Samuel; but under the laws agreed with the hunters, vampires could only have one childe and Naomi already had Cook. He was there only option and Katie was stuck with him.  
>"Katie." Effy placed a hand on her arm, trying to pacify the tiny vampire before things between her and Cook escalated. "Cook's right. You shouldn't be here. There's going to be blood and-"<br>"I'm not leaving you!" Katie's tone left no room for argument. She took hold of Effy's hand and flounced past Cook, letting herself inside his flat.  
>"Come on in ladies." He murmured as he closed the door behind them. He'd been waiting months to turn Effy, but it wasn't exactly happening under the circumstances he'd expected. He should have felt excited about finally taking on a child of his own, but ever since his brother's death he'd found it hard to take an interest in anything. He was in his eighties and still spending his nights drinking with children. It was far from the life he had imagined when he'd been growing up as a boy. He'd joined the army at eighteen, wanting to make something of his life; to prove the people who doubted he could ever amount to anything were wrong. Eighty years on and all he had to show for his life was an endless trail of bodies and some deep routed abandonment issues.<p>

He shrugged off his denim jacket and tossed it on to a chair before rolling up the sleeve of his shirt and taking a seat next to Effy on the sofa. Katie was sitting on her other side, clutching her hand. "You sure about this?" Cook took the words right out of Katie's mouth.  
>"Very." Effy craned her neck to the side, offering it up to him without wasting words. Cook licked his lips as he stared at the soft pale flesh. He'd starved himself for days so that he could drain Effy to the point of death; a necessity if she was going to receive his blood so it could infect her body and turn her. He nodded, needing no more encouragement than that.<br>"I'll try not to make it hurt." He promised, moving in slowly as his fangs descended. Effy nodded, her eyes already closed over. She squeezed Katie's hand harshly as he first pierced her flesh, but she didn't make a single sound. Katie kept hold of her hand the whole time Cook fed, trying to ignore the tantalizing aroma of the other girl's blood. She couldn't let herself be tempted by it. She couldn't risk screwing up and losing Effy for real. She kept her own eyes closed and made sure not to breathe. She felt Effy's grip on her hand growing weaker as her heart slowed, and she prayed that Cook knew what he was doing.

After a few minutes, which seemed to Katie to stretch on for an eternity, Cook pulled back and wiped at his mouth with the back of his hand, smearing it with blood. Turning his wrist over he sank his own fangs deep in to the skin, ripping it open and bringing his own blood to the surface. He pressed his bleeding wrist against' Effy's parted lips and massaged the flesh so that the blood kept coming, dropping steadily in to her mouth. It wouldn't take much. The vampire virus was a pretty potent one and with Effy's body close to the point of death it wouldn't take much for Cook's blood to take hold.

"Now what?" Katie asked uncertainly as Cook pulled back completely. He pulled out another cigarette and stuck it between his lips as he sparked up.  
>"We wait, I guess." He shrugged at her, not offering much help or reassurance at all. "It might be a few hours or a few days, everyone's different." Katie nodded as she pulled Effy in close so that the other girl was lying cradled against her. Patience had never been Katie Fitch's strong point; it had never been Cook's either.<p>

"I'm going out for a bit. Call me when she wakes up, yeah? And whatever you do, don't let her out without me! We don't want her killing anyone her first night, do we?" Katie shook her head, though she was only half listening to the older vampire as she watched Effy for any signs that she was changing. It was hours later when Katie finally felt the other girl beginning to stir beside her and she wrapped her arms a little tighter around her girlfriend.

She wanted to make sure that Effy's turning was as different from her own as possible. She wanted her to feel safe and to understand what was going on. Katie had woken up alone and confused, unsure of what had happened to her and unable to think of anything but filling the aching need that was tearing her insides apart. She had sought Effy out, thinking that the other girl's touch could fill the need inside of her, but it had been the other girl's blood that had been screaming out to her that morning.

Effy definitely had something else on her mind as her lips found Katie's and her body moved with even more purpose and grace than usual; which Katie was pretty sure was breaking all kinds of laws of physics that she had no hope of understanding. Effy was one of those people who had just been _born _to be a vampire. With her dark beautiful features and her air of elusiveness, she seemed so much more at ease in her skin than Katie had when she'd first woken as a vampire.

There was no urgency to her movements as her body moved to cover Katie's and her kisses were slow and almost lazy as her lips caressed against the smaller girl's. "How do you feel?" Katie asked. She was concerned that the transition might not have worked since Effy didn't seem to be suffering from the cravings that Katie was still dealing with. Even weeks after she had been turned she still struggled to control her hunger.  
>"Alive." Effy growled as her fingers ran up the exposed skin of Katie's bare legs. Her eyes were a darker shade of blue and there was an unmistakable strength in her grip as she pushed her legs apart. She stared down at Katie with a different kind of hunger, making the vampire swallow hard as she leant down to kiss her again.<p>

It shouldn't have surprised Katie that Effy was so in control of her thirst, after all no one was quiet as effortlessly in control as Effy seemed to be in life; except for when it came to the girl lying beneath her of course. Their first time together the previous night had been slow and tentative, with Effy doing her best not to rush the other girl. She had waited a long time for Katie to finally be ready and she hadn't wanted to blow it; but she was a completely different creature as she dropped her lips to bite at Katie's neck, her right hand already snaking up the leg of the other girl's bed shorts and tugging at the flimsy material until it ripped away.

Katie gasped as the other girl's fangs sunk in to the flesh of her neck at the same time as her fingers slipped inside of her, penetrating her in more ways than one. She would gain nothing from feeding on Katie, but the small bite seemed to satisfy her bloodlust and she returned to her lazy movements as her fingers teased Katie from the inside. "Eff-" The smaller girl moaned in to her mouth as she kissed her again, savouring the taste of the girl she'd wanted to kiss since the moment she'd first laid eyes on her. Effy let out another feral growl, her control slowly slipping again as she tugged Katie's top up over her head and tossed it away some across the room, taking out her lamp with her newfound strength. Her free arm wrapped around the other girl's waist, pulling her so that she was sitting on Effy's lap and sending her digits plunging deeper inside of her.

Katie gasped again, this time due to Effy's lips latching on to one of her breasts and suckling like she could satisfy her thirst if she just tried hard enough. Katie knew the newly turned vampire would need to feed, and soon, but she was barely able to form a coherent thought as Effy carried on with her ministrations of her breasts, using her free hand to give some much needed attention to the neglected one that wasn't being seen to by her mouth. "I want to go out. Let's go to a part or something?" Effy looked up at her through hooded lids as she nipped at the soft sensitive flesh of her boob, biting hard enough to draw blood.  
>"Ok." Katie hissed, forgetting her promise to Cook that she wouldn't let Effy out without him. "Ok….whatever you want…just…just…fuck…" Katie could feel her orgasm building up inside of her as the pad of Effy's thumb added to the sweet torture of her body. By the time the other girl sent her toppling over the edge she was already way beyond any hope of saying no to her. With Effy's fingers buried deep inside of her and her mouth doing such wonderful things, Katie couldn't deny her anything; nor could she stop to think about the consequences of letting a newly turned vampire loose on the city.<p>

They ended up at a house party. Katie had no idea who any of the people inside the house were, but she and Effy were too attractive young women dressed to impress and nobody stopped them as they wandered through the house. Effy had led them there from Cook's flat a few streets over and she seemed to be looking for something as she went from room to room. It was the early hours of the morning and most of the party revellers were either passed out or too drunk to function. There were maybe ten people in the house, all of them with strong beating hearts that pulsed in time to the heavy bass playing through the speakers in the living room. Katie should have been concerned that the other girl hadn't fed yet, and that she herself hadn't fed in over a day, but her attention was solely fixed on Effy as she headed up the stairs.

Katie's nostrils flared as a familiar scent hit her at the top of the stairs. She felt her fangs straining against her gums as her eyes landed on a guy leaning against one of the bedroom doors. He was cradling a half-finished bottle of beer in his hand and there was blood dripping down from a deep cut across his eye. Katie felt her stomach churning as the all-consuming hunger threatened to overtake her senses. She watched in awe as Effy stepped closer to the injured reveller and knelt down beside him. The intoxicated teenager wasn't so far out of it that he failed to notice the ravishing beauty kneeling in front of him. "Alright Gorgeous? You want some?" He slurred at her and thrust his hips out suggestively. With his vulgar manner and his sandy hair he reminded Katie of Cook and she felt her fangs finally bursting through her gums.

Effy on the other hand seemed perfectly at ease in front of the bleeding teen; too at ease. She cocked her head to the side, wearing that all-knowing smile of hers as she nodded at him. "Yes. I want some." She reached out and ran her index finger across the cut on his eye before bringing it to her lips. She took her finger in her mouth, basking in the sweetest taste that had ever passed her lips. The guy laughed at her, though it sounded a little nervous as Effy's eyes darkened. Behind her, Katie moved in closer, her control slipping by the second. 

* * *

><p>Emily grumbled as she heard her phone wailing at her from somewhere in the darkness. She was lying in bed, as naked as the day she was born and cuddled in to her girlfriend. It was almost dawn and the lazy sun was hovering just below the horizon, threaten to flood the room with its harsh light once it finally pulled itself up in to the sky. They'd just kicked the last of the partygoers out a few hours earlier before retiring to bed for Naomi to fulfil her promise of making Emily's night. She had definitely delivered on it.<p>

Emily tried to ignore her phone and buried her head back in the crook of Naomi's shoulder. The vampire had put away so much cheap champagne and jaeger bombs that she had actually still been drunk when they'd climbed in to bed, even her superior metabolism unable to shift the alcohol from her system. She was dead to the world and oblivious to the still ringing phone. Sighing, Emily pushed the covers back and pulled herself out of bed. If it wasn't some kind of emergency she was going to kill whoever was calling her at such an ungodly hour.

"Hello?" She croaked, her throat sore and dry from a night of drinking and shouting to be heard over the loud music that had been pumping through the apartment. She was met with silence on the other end of the line and she frowned as she pulled the phone away from her ear to check the caller ID on the phone. "Katie? What's wrong?"  
>"Emily?" She eventually heard Katie speak. Her voice sounded small and unsure, as though she wasn't quite with it. Emily had noticed her, Effy and Cook slipping out a little after midnight and she dreaded to think what kind of trouble Cook could have gotten the girls in to if they'd gone on to a club or something. Katie was probably too drunk or high to even know she had called her twin.<br>"Katie, what's up? Are you ok?" Again Emily was met with silence and her frown deepened as she waited for Katie to answer her. Her stomach dropped when she finally got her answer.

"No…I messed up, Emily. We…they…they're all dead. They're all dead Em…" 


	39. Chapter 39

Emily stared at the body of a young woman lying at the bottom of the stairs. Her throat looked like it had been ripped out by a wild animal and her eyes were wide open, staring up in accusation at Emily in a house that reeked of sweat and blood. The smell was so bad that the tiny human had to be mindful to breathe through her mouth. It was early in the morning, but the light outside couldn't penetrate the house with all of the curtains pulled over.

"This is fucking bad." Cook stood behind her, his eyes narrowing on the sight of carnage around them. There was another body at the top of the stairs and they could see the feet of a third poking out from the living room. Katie had called him after she'd called Emily and they'd arrived around the same time. "We're so fucked." He should never have left Effy alone during her transition. He should have known better, but everything had just gotten on top of him and turning Effy, but knowing he would never have her for himself, had been the last straw.  
>Effy sat curled up on the first step, with Katie's arms wrapped protectively around her. They were both wearing blank expressions on their faces, as though they were in shock. Cook understood what they were going through. He remembered all too well what it was like to make his first kill. His of course had been only one man, under the watchful eye of his maker. Katie and Effy had slaughtered almost a dozen people at the house party. He wasn't sure how either girl would cope with that, but that wasn't his first priority. His priority was in covering their mess up.<p>

"How do we fix this?" Emily asked, her eyes never leaving the body at the bottom of the stairs. She looked barely older than Emily herself and her life had been snuffed out, just like that. Cook let out a long sigh as he pulled a cigarette out of his packet and put it to his lips.  
>"I'm not sure CPR is going to help her now, babe." His callousness sent red hot anger searing through the tiny hunter and she turned on him, shoving him hard and knocking his cigarette from his lips. He was just another vampire. The death and destruction in the house had no effect on him.<br>"People are fucking dead, Cook! Because of you! Why the fuck would you turn Effy?"

"She asked." He shrugged at her and Emily felt her fists clenching at her sides. She was angry at Cook for turning Effy and leaving her, she was angry at Effy for _wanting _it, but most of all she was mad as hell at Katie for screwing up again. Attacking her own sister was nothing in compared to the mass murder of a house full of teenagers. Emily felt sick as her eyes landed on her twin and she caught sight of the blood still smearing her hands and face. Her eyes were glazed over as she shifted to look back at Emily and the blood and gore all over her made it look like she was a zombie in some kind of low budget horror film.

"Emily…" Katie croaked, finally realising her twin was there. She was completely out of it, lost in a haze of blood and violence. She sounded so lost and afraid. Emily felt her heart breaking as she realised her sister would die for what she had done. Even after everything she'd done, Katie was still her flesh and blood. She couldn't see the council kill her. They could never know about the murders. They would have to find a way to hide it, from the council and their parents. Their family had been proud hunters for generations; something like this could ruin them for good. The shame alone would be enough to kill their mother.

"We have to cover this up ." Emily announced and Cook agreed, though she was mostly talking to herself and didn't need his approval.  
>"We'll have to wait until its dark and hope no one come's knocking." He ran a hand through his dishevelled hair before pulling out another cigarette and lighting it. "Fuck knows what we're going to do with ten dead bodies though." Katie and Effy's handiwork put Cook's own past exploits to shame. He had never seen such carnage.<p>

"No." Emily shook her head, forming a plan of her own. "We don't hide what happened; we just cover up who did it. Find someone else to take the blame."  
>"Right, I'll just pop out and see if I can find Hannibal Lecter then, shall I?" Cook scoffed at her.<br>"No. You stay here with them. I know where to go for help."

When Emily had heard her sister's choked admission over the phone she had had acted on instinct, throwing on some clothes and scrambling out of the flat without thinking about involving Naomi. Her phone went again after she left the house full of bodies and she took a deep breath before answering. "Hey, Naomi. Sorry I skipped out without telling you this morning. Katie had an emergency."  
>"Is everything ok?" She could hear the concern in Naomi's voice and it brought a small smile to her lips. Naomi had never really gotten along with her family, but she and Katie had managed to find forge some semblance of a friendship and the blonde was genuinely worried about her.<br>"It's fine." Emily lied, trying to keep her tone steady as she pushed open the front door of the apartment building she was heading in to. "She and Effy just got it in to some stupid fight so she needs her sister to cry to, you know?" She almost choked as she forced back a sob.  
>"Oh, ok. Well take all the time you need. I'll be waiting here for you when you get back."<br>"I know...Naomi…I love you."  
>"I love you too babe. Tell Katie I said hello."<p>

The blonde hung up and Emily pocketed her phone again as she strode through the lobby, heading straight for the lifts. "Can I help you miss?" The same man from the night before was standing behind the reception desk, though he didn't recognise Emily without her finery. She had stormed out of her flat in a whirlwind of panic, pulling on the first pair of jeans she found and a hoodie that was in all probability Freddie's. It was hanging off her and smelt faintly of weed. Her hair was tied hastily back with some of it falling from her ponytail and she wore no makeup. She probably looked like some kind of homeless person.

Ignoring all of this she walked over to the reception desk with the same confidence she'd had the night before, unwilling to let the snobby receptionist see that she was falling apart inside. She had to keep it together if she was going to strike the deal she wanted to make with Sophia. "I'm here to see Sophia. She lives in apartment seventeen on the third floor. I was here last night."  
>"Oh, so you were." He relaxed a little as his eyes raked over her, obviously recognising her closer up. "I'll just phone Miss-"<br>"There's no need." Emily didn't have time to play nice. She carried on walking past the reception towards the lifts, ignoring the man's protests. He would probably call up to Sophia anyway to announce she had an unruly guest. Emily didn't care. It wasn't like she needed the element of surprise.

Sure enough Sophia was standing at her open door by the time Emily trudged out of the lift. She swallowed hard as she forced herself to walk up to her, knowing she was walking to her own execution. She tried to keep her head held high, but she was shaking as she stopped in front of Sophia's door, her arms wrapped protectively around herself. "We need to talk." The older woman wore a predatory smile as she stepped aside to let Emily in.

"To what do I owe the pleasure?" She quizzed as Emily walked in to the living room and slumped down on to the sofa. She felt like her knees were going to buckle out from under her so she was forced to sit down before she fell down. Pulling out her sloppy pony tail she ran her hands through her hair before cradling her face. "Emily? What's wrong?" The other woman sounded almost human for once as she crossed the room to sit beside the teenager. She went to touch her knee, but Emily pulled back. She needed to keep it together. If she fell apart then she would be no use to her twin.

"Katie…she…she's fucked up and I need your help covering it up. Just like last time."  
>"She hurt you again?" Sophia growled, grabbing Emily's arms to pull her in closer to check for injuries. She had given the youngest Fitch some leeway for being Emily's sister, but if she had fed from Sophia's property again then there would be hell to pay. Emily yanked her arms away, putting more distance between them as she shuffled back on the chair.<br>"No. She and Effy…they went to this house party and…" Emily trailed off, unable to put what she had found at the house in to words.  
>"Effy?"<br>"Cook turned her last night…and then he left her and Katie and Effy went out to feed…they…there's so many bodies…" Tears began welling up in the smaller girl's eyes as her body began to shake. She was on the verge of losing it all together. Everything was just too much.

"Tell me." Sophia ordered in a cold tone. She listened patiently as Emily went through what had happened and eventually described what she had found in the house. The older vampire pursed her lips as Emily finished. Ten bodies was a lot of work to hide. Sophia would obviously be compelled to help seeing as Cook had been involved, albeit indirectly and she couldn't risk losing him to hunters. He was the only family she had left and he had been a loyal companion for almost eight years. She was already thinking of a way to hide the evidence of the deaths, maybe a fire of some sort, when Emily came up with an unexpected suggestion.

"I need you to find someone else to take the blame for this. This isn't just Katie I need to protect, it's my whole family…I need your help." A smug smile spread over Sophia's lips as she realised she had the younger girl over a barrel.  
>"We're not talking about covering up an attack with one living victim, Emily. If I do this, it's going to be for more than a favour-"<br>"I know exactly what you'll want in return." Emily shot back, finding some of her usual fire as she pitched the deal. "You cover this up and you win. You can have me."

She expected Sophia to jump at the offer, but the ancient vampire sat quietly thinking it over for a few moments. Emily was almost ready to explode by the time she finally answered. "Not that I'm not pleased with this unexpected turn of events, but have you asked yourself whether she's worth it? I mean, how many times are you going to clean up your sister's messes Emily? You can't keep protecting her forever. Maybe it's time you let her fall on her sword?"

"If you don't want to help I'll find someone who will-" Emily made to stand up and storm out, but Sophia clamped a powerful hand around her wrist and yanked her back down, pulling her on to her lap and taking hold of both of her arms to stop her pulling away. Even as Emily was offering herself up to her she was still trying to fight her.  
>"We both know I'm the only one who can clear this mess up. That's why you came here. We can make a deal, if that's what you really want…but you're going to have to ask me a <em>lot <em>nicer."

"Please." Emily growled out, quickly losing her patience. "Please, help me."  
>"I don't know…that's not really <em>quite<em> the begging I promised you'd do. You want me to turn you Princess? Beg for it-" Emily was too proud to beg. She was a Fitch after all; so she went with something a little less degrading, though only marginally better. Falling back on something that had worked before she crushed her lips against Sophia's, forcing herself to kiss the other woman like she meant it. She was flushed and breathless by the time she pulled back and Sophia's eyes were glazed over with barely contained lust. Emily wasn't the only one running out of patience. With the right persuasion she could get Sophia to agree to anything.

Dropping her voice to a sultry whisper she leant in close to the other woman's ear. "Help me and I'm yours. You'll be my maker, and whether I like it or not I'll be bound to you; forever." The bond between a vampire and their childe was almost unbreakable. Emily would be a slave to her own blood. Sophia licked her lips, already anticipating having the girl all to herself. "You'll have won." Emily added quietly, speaking the words that sealed the deal.  
>"Alright." Sophia agreed. She caught a fistful of Emily's hair and yanked her head to the side, intending to turn her then and there.<br>"Wait!" Emily screamed, trying to push the vampire's mouth away from her neck. "First you help Katie! Then you get me."  
>"And how do I know you won't change your mind once your sister is out of the firing line?" Sophia had been around a long time. It was hard to pull the wool over her eyes.<p>

"Because while you're cleaning up Katie's mess I'll be speaking to Markus. I'm going to tell him that you're turning me, and it's my choice. I'll come back here tonight and everyone will get what they want." Sophia let go of her hair and let the smaller girl climb back on to her feet.  
>"Give me the address of the house and consider it done."<p>

* * *

><p>"You're sure about this?" Markus, the leader of the Vampire High Council scrutinised the tiny human girl standing before him closely after she had just told him she was consenting to be turned. He had been a close personal friend of her grandfather's, with the two men shaping the treaty that had held both of their kind in peace with one another for longer than Emily Fitch had been alive. He'd known the child all of her life, had been present at her christening and had paid his respects for her grandfather as his funeral. He couldn't imagine the Fitch's would be happy with her decisions; just as he couldn't believe that it really was her decision. "If Sophia has something over you-"<p>

"She doesn't." Emily cut him off before mumbling an apology. "I'm sorry, but I've been thinking about this long and hard. I want to be turned so that I can stay with my sister. Katie needs me….my parents will understand that someday." Her family would be mad at her for a long time, but hopefully one day they would understand her sacrifice.

"Very well." Markus nodded, though his anger was clearly simmering just beneath the surface. He had hated Sophia and her father for a millennia. They were everything that was wrong with their race; vicious and bloodthirsty oaths that were unable to change with the times. Sophia had been a thorn in his side for a long time, a pain that had grown worse since her father's death. He was not happy to see her getting exactly what she wanted. He tried to play the last card in his hand. "I can't say your grandfather would be happy with your choice. Michael was a good man, he dedicated his own life to make sure you and your sister could live yours without fear of our kind-"  
>"And look how well that turned out." Emily interrupted, unable to keep her comments to herself. Anger flashed behind Markus' eyes, the man was ancient and the leader of an entire race. He wasn't used to be spoken too in such a way by a child. "With all due respect Markus, I know what my grandfather would think of my decision. In fact I'm positive he would approve." She pulled out the little glass bottle that had never left her side since Katie had attacked her, letting Markus catch sight of it.<p>

She'd had to smuggle it past his guards and she made sure to keep it out of sight of his nearby advisors. His eyes narrowed on the familiar bottle as he took in Emily's meaning. He knew exactly what was inside it and he nodded in approval. "I think you might be right. You fully understand the implications of what you intend to do?" He quizzed. It was a big weight for the girl to take on her tiny shoulders. Emily held his hard stare with one of her own as she dipped her head to indicate she knew exactly what she was doing.

She had no choice but to go through with her deal to let Sophia turn her. Going to Markus and publicly declaring her choice in front of his advisors had made sure of that and it would be enough reassurance to get Sophia to cover up the carnage of the night before, but there was nothing that said Emily had to live through the transition; or Sophia for that matter. Everyone really would get what they wanted, including Markus. He would be free from his fellow ancient if Emily's plan worked. Rising from his throne he stepped towards Emily, the former Roman legionnaire heaving his massive bulk of muscles to press a tentative kiss to the girl's forehead. "Good luck little Fitch. May the God's guide your path."

After leaving with Markus' blessing Emily made her way back to the flat. She'd received a text from Katie telling her that some vamps had turned up at the house and told them to leave. They'd gone back to the Fitch's and had taken Cook with them to keep an eye on Effy. So at least she knew Sophia had kept her end of the deal. There were still a few things she needed to do before going back to Sophia though.

She found Naomi waiting for her just as she'd promised. She was draped over the settee, reading a magazine with the television on in the background. "Hey. How's Katie?" She smiled as she tossed the magazine aside and pulled her girlfriend down on top of her. Wrapping her arms around her before going in for a kiss.  
>"Fine." Emily forced a smile. She could feel her heart pounding ten to the dozen at the lie, but thankfully Naomi missed it. "You know what she's like, one little argument and it's the end of the world…I actually just came back to get changed. I said I'd keep her company some more. You don't mind do you?" She prayed that the blonde would believe the lie and thankfully she did.<p>

"Of course. Are you coming back tonight though?"  
>"I'll try my best." She choked on the words and had to cover it with a cough to stop the other girl from growing suspicious. She moved off the sofa to go get changed and to take a few minutes to compose herself. When she emerged from the bedroom she was freshly showered and wearing her own clothes. She'd tucked the little glass bottle out of sight in the pocket of her jacket. "I'll see you later Naoms… I love you. You know that right?"<br>"I had a feeling." Naomi laughed, not realising it would be the last time she ever spoke to her lover. She seemed to pick up something as she lost her smile. "Em, is everything ok?"  
>"Fine." She lied again. "I'll see you."<p>

She made a hasty retreat before the blonde could question her further and before she could see the tears building up in her eyes. She had one more stop to make before going off to face her fate.


	40. Chapter 40

When Emily arrived home at her parents' house she found James sitting alone in the living room, playing on his Xbox and cursing loudly at the screen as his character died. "Hey, where's everybody else?" She quizzed as she sat down on the floor beside him, curling her legs under her. He barely looked away from the screen as he answered with a shrug, a typical little brother response.  
>"Mum and Dad got a call about some fanger thing. Katie's upstairs with that hot chick and the guy that smells funny." Emily smiled as she watched the youngest Fitch pounding against the buttons of his gamepad. He was too young to understand everything that was going on. He didn't fully know about vampires and hunters. He had no idea his big sister was about to commit the ultimate sin in their families eyes. Eventually he would learn the truth though, and he would probably hate her.<p>

She pulled him in for a hug, receiving a barrage of verbal abuse for making him die again. "What the fuck?" He grumbled, apparently too old and too cool to get a cuddle from his sister. Emily slapped him around the head and ignored his protests as she squeezed him tight.  
>"I love you James, never forget that; no matter what anyone tells you about me, just remember that I love you, ok?"<br>"Ok." He huffed as he pulled away from her, his attention going straight back to his game. The impromptu declaration wouldn't mean much to him, but saying goodbye meant a lot to Emily. She had been hoping to see her parents one last time, to attempt to give them something resembling closure, but it didn't seem like it was meant to be.

She stiffened as she felt a spasm of pain tear through her abdomen and she took a moment to compose herself before getting to her feet. She felt sick to her stomach and it wasn't just with nerves. Pulling out the now empty glass bottle she sat it down on the coffee table, hoping her parents would understand once they saw it. Leaving her baby brother she went in search of another James. She found Cook sitting outside of Katie's door. He nodded towards her, but didn't make a move to say anything. He seemed to understand how the mess at the house had been taken care of. He knew better than anyone the lengths that people sometimes needed to go to protect their family.

She slipped past him and in to the room she had shared with her twin for most of her life. She found Katie and Effy curled up in Katie's bed, sleeping off what had happened the night before. The blood had been cleaned from their faces and Katie looked almost angelic as the tiny girl lay cuddled up to Effy. Deciding not to wake her she crossed over to her own bed and placed a folded over piece of paper on top of it. It held Katie's name on the front of it in Emily's flowing cursive, a little heart dotting the 'i'. Sophia had been right; Emily wouldn't always be around to save her twin. Katie needed to learn to take responsibility for herself and Emily hoped the letter would help her see it.

She slipped out of the room long before Katie woke up and noticed the letter on her twin's bed. Pulling away from Effy she crossed the room and sat down on Emily's bed to inspect the bit of paper that had been left there. She smiled as she noticed the heart in the 'i' of her name. She had started writing it like that when she was seven and she had forced the same habit on to Emily. She lost her smile as she opened the letter and slowly read it over. Dropping the letter to the floor she dived for the bedroom door, expecting to find Cook still posted by it. There was no sign of him though. She ran down the stairs, hoping to find him sitting with James or something, but her little brother was the only one in the house.

"Where's Cook gone?" She demanded, pulling the plug out of his games console to get him to answer her.  
>"Bitch! He left ages ago, just after Emily. And she's just as loopy as you today, all kissing me and stuff, yuck!" He snatched the wire back from his sister, completely missing the panic in her eyes as they landed on the little glass vial on the coffee table. It was empty.<br>"No, fucking no…" Leaving James struggling to reconnect his console she shot back upstairs, tearing her room apart in search of her phone. She had to get in touch with Naomi. She suddenly understood how her twin intended to 'sort' everything' and she couldn't let her go through with it.

"Katie, what's wrong?" Effy stirred as she heard the smaller girl storming around the room in search of her phone. Katie didn't have time to answer as she finally pulled her phone out of her purse and dialled Naomi's number. She handed Emily's letter over instead; her sister's words said it all.

_'Katie,_

I know we've had our differences, but you're my twin and I would do anything for you. That's why I've made this deal with Sophia. I know you'll hate me for it, but I need you to help mum and dad understand without them finding out about what you did. They can't know and you have to make sure nothing like that ever happens again. I won't be there to cover for you next time. I can't let her turn me. I can't risk turning and doing something like you did. I'm sorry.

_Love,_

Emily x' 

* * *

><p>"You came." Sophia took a step back from the door to let the smaller girl inside. "I'm almost disappointed."<br>"Why? You've won." Emily huffed as she dragged her feet on the way inside. She shrugged off her jacket, tossing it carelessly down on the sofa. She was wearing a low cut vest that left her neck and shoulders exposed.  
>"I have." Sophia nodded in agreement as she took a step towards the tiny human girl. "But after fifteen years of playing this game, I'm entitled to be a little sad that it's over." Her hand caressed Emily's cheek before dropping down to brush her long red locks back from her neck. She pressed her lips against her collarbone and felt Emily's pulse pounding just below the surface. Her skin was hot and clammy beneath her fingers as they wrapped around her wrists, holding her in place. Sophia put it down to fear. Emily was a Fitch, she could talk a good game and seem to walk fearlessly to her own death; but her body betrayed her fear. Every muscle in her body was tensed as she waited for the inevitable. The moment drew out in to agonisingly long seconds, with Sophia's soft lips moving against her skin, but the vampire's fangs never descended. Realising she was still playing games, Emily pulled away.<p>

"It's over Sophia, just get on with it and turn me already!" She snapped, irritated by the older woman's teasing. She was ready to die. She had made her peace and she was damn well ready to stop fighting a fate that seemed inevitable. No matter what she tried she couldn't escape Sophia's twisted little game. She couldn't win. She had known that for a while; longer than she cared to admit. She had been holding on, trying to delay what she knew had to happen, in the hope of finding another way. With her twin's life hanging over her head she had run out of time and options.  
>"What's the rush? Maybe I want you to beg me a little more first?" Sophia scrutinised her as she picked up a bottle of champagne from the glass coffee table and popped the cork. She reached for the two glasses that had been sitting beside the bottle, but stopped short as Emily snatched the bottle out of her hand and sent it smashing against the wall. It exploded in a shower of glass and champagne, soaking the previously immaculate cream carpet. Emily's chest was heaving and her cheeks were flushed, as though tossing the bottle had been a real challenge. "What is wrong with you?"<p>

Sophie cupped her chin in one hand and tilted her head back to get a good look at her. Her complexion was sallow and her eyes were sunken and unfocused. Her breath had started to come out in short rasps and the sound of her heart pounding wildly against her ribcage was almost deafening. "What did you do?" Sophia growled, fearing the worst as Emily's knees buckled and she had to hold the smaller girl up. A weak smile spread over her lips, and despite the state she was in Emily almost looked smug.  
>"Sleeping pills." Emily choked out as Sophia got her over to the sofa and lay her down. She had been surprised to make it over without the effects of what she'd taken becoming more obvious; but it certainly wasn't sleeping pills that were slowly shutting down her major organs. She had hoped that Sophia would have bitten her before she'd realised the toxin was coursing through her blood system.<p>

"Well that was stupid. The pills won't kill you Emily, and it won't hurt me. I won't even feel it." She brushed Emily's hair out of her eyes before she brought her own wrist to her mouth and bit down, drawing out her blood. She took hold of the back of her head and firmly pressed her wrist against Emily's mouth. She struggled, more out of pride and habit than anything else. She was ready to give in. "You keep putting yourself through all this pain, avoiding what you know in your heart is your fate. Even now, when there's no way out, you're still fighting me. That's why it had to be you, Emily. That's why you have to be mine." She leant over the other girl, her fangs descending the second her lips touched her neck.

Emily whimpered, though the pain was quite dull, as if her mind and her body had separated. The pain from the bite felt distant, like it was happening to someone else. She felt her heart slowing and her breaths becoming laboured as her life force slowly slipped away. Sophia was draining her dry, taking her blood and everything in it. Even as she lay dying, Emily found the last ounce of strength inside of her to twitch her lips in to a smile. It was almost over. As her eyes closed over she kept that thought running through her mind. Soon the pain would be gone and the people she loved would be safe. 

* * *

><p>"She's made her choice Naomi. Just leave it yeah?" Cook stood in the lobby of Sophia's apartment building, blocking Naomi's access to the lift and the stairs. Sophia had called him to tell him what was going on and had asked him to come over to ensure no one tried to stop Emily; so he had reluctantly left Katie watching over Effy at the Fitch house. Katie had called Naomi not long later, admitting everything that had happened and begging her to help her sister. Naomi had literally hung up the phone and kicked in one of the dining room chairs to get herself a makeshift stake before rushing over to Sophia's apartment. Emily was on a suicide mission and had no intention of being turned.<p>

Naomi didn't have time to reason with him, so she went for flat out threatening him.  
>"Get out of my way Cook. This isn't for you, but I'll use it if I have to." She pulled out the wooden stake that she had stashed in the waistband of her jeans. She didn't want to hurt him, but nothing was going to stop her getting to Emily. She was already afraid she was too late.<br>"You'd really do it, wouldn't you?" Cook laughed, though the sound came out bitter and strangled. He shook his head at her. "You'd kill me to save Emily."  
>"In a heartbeat." Naomi took a determined step forward, her grip on the stake tightening. Cook stood his ground, staring her down with his arms crossed over his chest.<br>"I wish I'd stayed human, that I'd lived my life and looked after my brother." His gaze was as cold as Naomi's tone had been. "I wish you'd never fucking turned me…I wish I'd never met you!"  
>"I'm sorry." She really was. She'd been selfish in turning Cook, damning him to the same hell that Sophia had sucked her in to. "But how you feel now, that's how Emily's going to feel…she's not going to wake up and want to play happy families with you and Sophia. She'll hate you, just like you hate me now."<p>

The clock behind the unmanned reception desk was counting down seconds that Emily didn't have. Naomi couldn't afford to carry on trying to talk Cook around. She took another step towards the lift, her muscles tensing, readying for Cook's counter attack. It never came. He stepped aside, punching the button to call the lift. "I don't hate you. I hate what you did to me, but I don't hate you…better hurry, Red got here five minutes ago." By the time the lift reached the lobby Naomi was already halfway up the stairs.

She burst through the door to Sophia's apartment, the wood splintering away from the frame. She stopped in her tracks as she found Emily lying spread across the sofa. Her eyes were closed over and her skin looked grey and waxy. There was a thin trickle of blood from the bite mark on her neck, though her heart was beating too slowly to keep the wound bleeding. She was on the cusp of death, precariously balancing between this life and the next. She wasn't the only one.

Sophia sat on the floor, her back resting against the frame of the broken glass coffee table as she stared helplessly up at her former lover, groaning in agony sitting amongst the broken glass of the table she'd fallen through after terrible spasms had racked her body. Her eyes were framed by deep dark circles and her skin looked dry and leathery, like she'd spent a lifetime working under a hot sun. She hadn't completely drained Emily, but she had taken enough before she'd felt the effect of the poison working on her. Naomi ignored her frail outstretched hand as she bypassed the older vampire, dropping the stake in her hands all together as she dropped to her knees at Emily's side. She pressed two fingers against the side of her neck and felt a distant pulse. Something was wrong. From the smear of blood on her lips she knew Emily had already taken Sophia's blood. She should have been turning; not dying. "What's happening to her?" She growled at Sophia as she watched Emily's eyelids flutter. Her shallow, inconsistent breaths rattled against her chest. Each one could easily be her last. Naomi scooped her up in to her arms, intending to pick her up and carry her. She needed to get her help.

"S...Ss...Silver." Emily rasped in her ear. Her voice was so low that Naomi wouldn't have heard her without her vampiric hearing.  
>"Emily? Stay with me baby, we're going to get you help-"<br>"No." She croaked, managing to crack her eyes open to stare up at the blonde. Her pupils were wide and the whites of her eyes were tainted the same dull grey as her skin; a side effecting from ingesting silver nitrate, powdered silver she had been able to dissolve in water. It had been her grandfather's secret weapon when he'd been a hunter, to make sure he could never be turned. After sixty years of taking silver he had eventually succumbed to heavy metal poisoning. Emily was suffering the same fate, though taking all of the silver she had left at once had speeded up the process. "Too…late. Been taking…silver…weeks-" She coughed, the effort of forming each word taking its toll on her already fragile state. Emily cringed as painful spasms racked through her body. It should have been a sign that she was transitioning, but her body was fighting the change. Had she not had some of Sophia's blood she would already be dead.

Naomi cursed as she ran a hand through her hair, pushing it back out of her eyes. Silver in Emily's bloodstream would explain why her body was rejecting Sophia's blood. It would also explain why Sophia was curled up on the floor, groaning in agony as her insides were slowly rotting away. Being one of the first vampires in existence meant she didn't have the same kind of immunity to silver that Naomi and Cook had. _Cook!_

He could help her. He could help save Emily. If Naomi used her blood to turn her then Markus and the council would just condemn them both to death. Naomi already had one childe; she wouldn't be allowed to get away with turning a second. They would constantly be on the run, looking over their shoulders for signs of the council catching up to them; then there was Effy and Katie to think about. Naomi couldn't look after three new-born vampires whilst on the run. Given that they'd slaughtered a dozen people the night before they would need constant supervision until they had their hunger under control. Naomi hadn't exactly done a brilliant job raising one childe, never mind three.

Cook hadn't turned anyone though. He could turn Emily and stop her from dying. "Just hold on for me Ems, ok? I need to get Cook and then we'll fix you."  
>"No…" Emily knew her well enough to know what the blonde was thinking, even if she was wracked with crippling pain. She clawed at the blonde's shirt, trying to stop her from leaving. She didn't want Cook's help. Emily had ingested enough silver to kill Sophia and to stop her blood from turning her. It was over; they'd won. It had come at the cost of Emily's life, but she'd made peace with that when she'd taken what was left of her supply of silver.<p>

"Emily, please." Naomi choked back tears as she pulled away from the tiny fragile human. "I'm sorry. It's the most selfish thing I'll ever do in my life, but I just can't let you die. You can hate me all you want, as long as you're alive to do it."  
>"No! You said…you said you'd always give me a choice…please…please don't do this." Even as she was dying Emily was still fighting to do it in peace. She could feel her body fighting off Sophia's blood inside of her. She could feel her organs shutting down and she was ready. Having Naomi there with her before she passed should have been a welcome relief, but Emily had always known the only flaw in her plan. A vampire who wasn't allergic to silver could finish the transition without her body rejecting it.<p>

"I'm sorry." Naomi couldn't look her in the eye as she pulled away from her. She had to be quick if she wanted to help her. She reached the lobby again in record time, flying down the stairs so fast that she almost took the door at the bottom of them off its hinges as she slammed in to it. "Cook!" She grabbed his attention as he sat idly on the reception desk, wringing his hands together. He'd chosen not to follow her up and not to get involved. He was waiting to see how the cards fell. He was pretty good at that, picking a side once everything was over and done with. "Upstairs! Now!" She screamed at him, not waiting to see if he was following her as she scrambled back up the stairs. She was his maker, he wouldn't ignore such a direct order from the woman whose blood pumped through his veins.

Sure enough, when Naomi reached Sophia's apartment again Cook was not far behind her. "Jesus." He took one look at Emily and knew something had definitely gone wrong. "She's taken silver! Her body's rejecting Sophia's blood-"  
>"Where is Sophia?" Cook looked around at the carnage of the living room, from the broken glass coffee table to the stake lying beside it. He felt his insides clenching.<p>

"What? She's…" Naomi looked around the room and found it empty, save for Emily who was still breathing shallowly on the sofa. "Fuck." The older vampire had disappeared, somehow making it out of the apartment in her dismal state. The blonde didn't really have time to worry about her though. Emily had to be her priority. "You have to turn her Cook! I can't-"  
>"I can't neither Naoms." Cook's face fell as he realised what Naomi was asking of him. "Who do you think turned Eff? I'm sorry babe, I can't help her..." He loved Emily like a little sister. Sophia had tasked him to attend Roundview in order to get close to her and he'd done his job well. He didn't want to see her suffering, but there was nothing he could do to help. It was like watching his brother slipping away from him all over again.<p>

"Fuck!" Naomi clung to Emily's limp hand as she tentatively brushed her hair out of her eyes. Emily was too weak to open her eyes again, or to even acknowledge she was there, but she knew the blonde was by her side and she no longer felt any pain. She was comfortably numb, and she was ready to let go; unlike Naomi. "What if I turn her? We can just say Sophia did it? She's probably dying somewhere anyway so she can't say any different! I'll just turn her and we'll-"  
>"Markus will know." Cook sighed. Everything was falling apart around him and he was growing tired of constantly losing the people he loved. It seemed to be the only constant in his tortuously long life. "Sophia's two thousand years old, if she turned Em then she'd be allergic to silver and probably the sun for a while too. We couldn't fake that."<p>

"Then what do I do Cook?" Naomi screamed at him, tears streaming down her eyes as she started to realise she was going to lose Emily. There wasn't time to find a vampire who hadn't sired anyone and wasn't allergic to silver.  
>"She doesn't want this Naomi. You know that." Cook dropped gracefully down to pick up the discarded stake by the coffee table; knowing what he had to do. He put a hand on her shoulder and she stiffened. They both knew he was right, but that didn't mean she had to like it.<br>"I can't let her go Cook." Naomi turned in to him, sobbing in to his shoulder as he wrapped one big arm around her. He tightened his grip on the wooden stake in his free hand, his eyes narrowing on Emily's tiny frame.  
>"You don't have to."<p>

Naomi gasped as Cook's hand moved with the speed of lightening, the stake slamming through bone and tissue and connecting with its intended target. The blonde's eyes widened as she stumbled back, unable to process what her childe had just done. "Cook…"  
>"You should never have turned me babe." He dropped to his knees and gave her a soft smile as he pulled the stake out and let it drop to the floor beside him. She rushed towards him, but he pushed her away. He grunted from the effort, feeling the deep ache in his chest from his now still heart. The wound wouldn't kill him straight away, but stopping his heart from beating would stop him from being able to pump the borrowed blood around his body. He wouldn't be able to recover from the mortal wound and no amount of feeding would keep his body alive. He would last long enough to present himself to the Council to explain everything. Naomi could turn her lover without fear of reprisal.<p>

"You can turn her now." He grunted at her. "But for god's sake do a better job with her than you did with me." He shot her his lopsided boyish grin to show he was only teasing, but Naomi knew he was right. He was giving her a second chance at being a sire and she couldn't let Emily down. If she was going to go against everything Emily believed in and turn her, she would have to make sure she never let the smaller girl take a life. Naomi would have to be wholly responsible for her.

"Thank you." She pressed her lips to Cook's cheek before turning her back on him to see to Emily. She was too far gone for Naomi to think about what she was going. If she was going to turn her then she would have to do it fast. Bringing her wrist up to her mouth she bit down hard enough to draw blood. Placing her wrist over Emily's mouth she flexed her fingers to try and draw out the blood. She had no idea if it would even work. Emily was in a pretty bad state and Naomi couldn't be sure how her own blood would react with the silver and the other vampire's blood coursing through her dying body. She said a small prayer, hoping that Cook's sacrifice wouldn't be in vain. She couldn't lose both of them. "I'm sorry Em…I'm so sorry…"

**A/N: So the last chapter turned out to be over 10,000 words long and I'm still not done, so I've split it in to 3 to make it easier to read. I've put chapters 39 and 40 straight up and the last part should be up soon, hopefully by tonight as this fic is 18 months old today :) **


	41. Chapter 41

"What if this doesn't work?" Gina sighed as she took a seat beside Naomi on her bedroom floor. The curtains were drawn over to block any light from reaching the tiny figure on the bed. Naomi shook her head in response. She wasn't only unwilling to think that, but completely unable. It _had _to work. Cook had given his life in order for Emily to have a second chance at hers. Naomi couldn't let herself think about losing them both. "And what if it does work? You know she didn't want this Naomi-"

"I didn't ask for it either." The younger blonde snapped. She had needed to take Emily somewhere she would be safe during her transition, and her mother's house had been the first place to spring to mind. Their flat, with its floor to ceiling windows was hardly the best place to take a new-born vampire. Emily would be sensitive to light for at least a few days after turning.

Gina had opened the front door to find Naomi cradling Emily's almost lifeless body and she hadn't asked any questions; at least not until they'd gotten Emily comfortable. Naomi had broken down and told her everything, from Katie attacking her twin, to Emily filling herself full of silver before offering her neck up to Sophia. "I didn't _ask _to fall in love with a human! I know what I did was selfish, but I'd do it again… I can't lose her mum."  
>"Death isn't the only way to lose someone Naomi. She isn't going to suddenly wake up and thank you for what you've done to her…you have to be prepared for that."<p>

"I know that." The blonde muttered, her attention fixed on Emily as she sat holding a vigil by her bedside, waiting for any sign that the transition had been successful. They still had no idea how the silver in Emily's blood would affect the change. They were playing a waiting game just seeing if she would live through it. "I'll deal with the consequences. She can hate me all she wants, but I won't give up on her. She's part of me now; I can feel her in here and I know she's going to make it." Naomi held her free hand against her heart. She could feel the bond between her and her childe growing as her blood worked her way through Emily's body. Whether the other girl forgave her for what she had done or not, they would always be connected.

Gina shuffled forward and wrapped her arms around her daughter as she pressed her lips to Naomi's forehead. "Before I turned you, I hadn't fed on human blood in centuries. I hadn't taken a single life…I turned my back on everything I believed in to turn you…and I was wrong to tell you that I regretted that decision; because I never have. The truth is I was angry when I said those things to you; angry at myself for not doing a better job of protecting you. You can't let the same happen to Emily. If she makes it through this she's going to need someone to get her through this. She's going to need you."  
>"What if she doesn't want me?"<p>

It was hours later before Naomi got her answer. In the early hours of the morning Emily finally began to stir. The second her eyes fluttered open she felt a deep ache in her chest. She sat bolt upright, her eyes growing wide in fear as she tried to figure out where she was. The room she was in was cast in darkness, yet Emily could see every last detail with perfectly clarity. A familiar scent washed over her, drowning her senses. "Naomi…" The name escaped her lips in barely more than a whisper, but to her oversensitive hearing she might as well have screamed it at the top of her lungs. She clamped her hands over her ears, not understanding what was going on.

She was struggling to fight her way through the fog of her memory when she heard another whisper beside her. She jumped, almost flying off the bed she was sitting on. "It's ok." Naomi moved slowly from where she had been curled up on the floor, so as not to scare the other girl. She knew just how disconcerting it was to first wake up after the change. Emily looked at her through the curtain of red hair that had fallen over her face and her lips were curled back showing a glint of fang.

"No it's not. Nothing is ok." The smaller girl shuffled backwards so that her back was pressed up against the wall and she tucked her knees under her chin before closing her eyes over again. "Nothing is ever going to be ok."  
>"Em, I'm sorry." Naomi tried again, but Emily cut her off with another glare.<br>"No you're not! Don't even pretend you are! This is what you wanted! This is all your fault!"  
>"Yeah, you're <em>alive <em>and it's all my fault!"  
>"It wasn't your choice! It was mine, and you took that away from me!"<br>"And what choice did I have? When you ran off to make deals with Sophia without even talking to me about it? When you went off and fucking _poisoned _yourself with silver to take her out? What choice did you give me, Emily? I could have helped you if you'd just given me the chance!" They fell in to a heavy silence as Emily had nothing to say back to that.

She was angry and upset and she was struggling to think straight with the ache inside of her chest that seemed to be spreading throughout her body. It was hunger unlike she had ever experience before; an all-consuming feeling of emptiness that was begging to be satisfied. She tried to ignore it, burying it beneath her rage, but that only seemed to make it worse. Naomi recognised the anguish in her expression. "You need to feed-"  
>"No." Emily's eyes snapped open again and narrowed on the blonde. "You might have turned me, but you can't force me to be this way!"<br>"If you don't feed you'll die."  
>"Good! I was ready to die!"<br>"Emily, please..."  
>"No." The smaller girl lay back down on the bed, trying to ignore the overwhelming scent of her lover on the sheets around her. Rolling over she turned her back on the blonde, clenching her teeth so hard that her fangs pierced her own tongue; drawing blood. "I won't do it! I won't let that bitch win! Just leave me alone will you…"<p>

Naomi sighed as she pushed herself up to her feet. She moved slowly, softly kissing the other girl's cheek. Emily stiffened, though she didn't pull away as Naomi whispered in her ear. "Not feeding doesn't mean that Sophia doesn't get to win… It just means you lose. I am sorry Em… but not for turning you. I'm sorry you couldn't come to me when you needed help… I'm sorry I wasn't enough for you."

Emily lay in the darkness, letting the other girl's words sink in. Eventually she turned over to face her, but it was too late. She was alone. She felt that ache in her chest again, the one that had nothing to do with hunger. It was her sire bond; the thing that would keep her tied to Naomi for as long as they were both drawing breath.

Naomi trudged down the stairs and found the oldest twin sitting at the bottom of them. She looked up as Naomi took a seat beside her. She hadn't stopped crying in hours and she looked like hell. Her eyes were red raw and her nose was running. "Is she ok?" she sniffled, knowing that the other girl wouldn't leave her sister's side until she was awake. Naomi shook her head, her eyes glued on the door.  
>"No. She's not ok, Katie. She's awake but I don't think she wants company-" The blonde didn't get a chance to finish as Katie raced up the stairs. She didn't bother knocking as she slipped in to Naomi's room. She and Emily had shared a room their whole life and knocking was a formality neither had ever learnt to acknowledge, but the girl sitting curled up on Naomi's bed looked nothing like Katie's sister. Her expression was cold and hard as she glared at her twin like she was a stranger.<p>

"Em, I'm so sorry!" Katie started to step towards the bed, but Emily stopped her with a low growl coming from deep within her throat. "Emily, please-"  
>"You told her didn't you? You told Naomi what I was doing?" The younger twin glared at her, her tone thick with accusation.<br>"I had too!" Katie objected. "I couldn't let you do something stupid to help me! You should have…you should have just…" Emily wasn't the only one who was mad. She had been furious when she'd woken up to find Emily's note; knowing her sister was throwing her life away for her without even consulting her.  
>"Should have what?" Emily snapped. "Let you die? I know the feeling Katie!"<p>

"No you don't! You have _no _idea what it feels like to be me right now Emily! I _killed _people! I _almost _killed you! What makes you think I even wanted you to save me? Maybe…maybe I called you so that you'd do the _right _thing! I let Effy take me to that house. I knew she was too fucking calm, something wasn't right, but I followed her anyway, just like always. There was this kid upstairs. He was bleeding and as soon as I smelt it, it was all I could think about. I could have still stopped it, I could have walked away…but he looked like Cook. He even had that stupid fucking grin of his, and I hated him for it Em! I hated that he had turned Eff, that he'd always be part of our lives…" Katie felt the tears welling up in her eyes again as she shouted at her sister, finally getting to vent the frustration that had been building up inside of her. "I started it! I attacked that kid first, and then someone saw and before I knew it Effy and I were standing in that house and everyone was dead….Then I called you, because I knew you'd know what to do...at least I _thought _you'd know… You're a fucking Fitch Emily! You're supposed to kill fangers!"

"You're not a fanger Katie, you're my sister!" Emily sighed in the darkness as she closed her eyes over, wishing she could just slip back in to oblivion. It seemed neither of them had gotten what they wanted and they were stuck living with the consequences. Dying had been easy. After a while Emily hadn't felt any pain. She had been comfortably numb, and safe in the knowledge that her loved ones were ok. Coming back to face the hell she had left behind was torture. "I couldn't do that to you; I couldn't give up on you."  
>"So you gave up on yourself instead?" Katie accused, her anger getting the better of her. "You tried to take the fucking easy way out and leave the rest of us to it! Well it didn't work, you're still here and you just need to fucking deal with it!"<br>"I can't!" Emily roared back, her fangs ripping through her gums as a painful reminder of just what she was supposed to live with. "I can't do this Katie! I can't _be _this! I just…can't."

Back downstairs Naomi had found Effy curled up in one of the living room chairs, staring out of the window at nothing. Cook had been a third generation vampire, making Effy a fourth. Her tolerance for the sun had been almost instantaneous. Emily however had been turned by blood that had come from only a second generation, someone turned directly by Gina. It was unclear how long she would be allergic to the sun; or if she would even survive long enough for them to find out. If she didn't feed soon then her body wouldn't be able to sustain the changes that it had undergone. She would starve to her second death in as many days.

"What's going to happen to Cook?" Effy spoke for the first time in hours, pulling her gaze away from the window to peer up at Naomi. Her usual eye makeup was missing, leaving her looking younger than Naomi had ever seen her. Her eyes were haunted by a pain that only Naomi could understand. Effy knew she was hurting, but she didn't fully understand what she was feeling.  
>"He's dead." Naomi let out a heavy sigh as she perched on the arm of the chair. She took Effy's hand in her own, trying to offer her descendant some comfort. They were family of a sort after all, and without Cook around it would fall to Naomi to raise her. "That ache that you're feeling right now, the one you've been feeling for hours, that's him. He's gone." She had felt her bond with Cook sever with his death. Markus had probably put him out of his misery when he'd presented himself to the Council with a punctured heart. Effy's eyes closed over as she slowly nodded, accepting what she already knew to be true.<br>"Is Emily going to be ok?"  
>"I don't know."<p>

******  
>"Hello luv." Gina smiled patiently as she slipped in to Naomi's room and approached the bed Emily was still curled up on. She moved slowly as though she was approaching a wild animal that had somehow slipped in to the house; in a way she was. "I've brought you something up, in case you're hungry." She sat a mug down on the bedside table and Emily sat up to acknowledge her. Wiping at her eyes she pushed her hair out of her face before wrapping her arms around her knees. She warily looked between Gina and the mug.<p>

"I don't want it." It was a flat out lie. Every fibre of her being was craving the contents of the cup. The scent of blood was catching the back of her throat and it was taking everything she had in her not to go for the cup. She had made her decision and no one was going to take it away from her.  
>"That's your choice." Gina nodded solemnly. She wasn't patronizing her. She was willing to honour whatever Emily decided to do; but of course that didn't mean she couldn't try and influence that decision. "And you do have a choice Emily. This isn't about what Sophia wants, or even Naomi. You can choose not to feed, to let yourself die…but you can also choose to live. It doesn't have to be about Sophia winning her little game, or you proving something to your family. It just has to be what you really want. You don't even have to drink <em>human<em> blood; you'll never crave it if you never have it. It worked with Naomi…at least it did at first… I'll leave you to think it over-" The older blonde stood, intending to give Emily some time to herself, but the redhead called out to her, stopping her in her tracks.  
>"I think she's alive…" Gina stopped at the door, her patient smile wavering. She didn't need to ask who she was talking about. "I think…I think I can feel her."<p>

Emily shuffled forward on the bed as Gina walked back over to her. Taking off the ring that Naomi had given her for her birthday, the one made of silver, she revealed a small red band on her skin from where the metal had been irritating her finger. The allergy was only mild, and nothing compared to the reaction that most vampires had to silver, but it was proof that at least some of Sophia's blood had been involved in turning her; which meant Naomi wasn't her only sire. Gina frowned as she inspected the mark on the teenager's hand. "I've never heard of a vampire having two makers before…it's probably best we keep this to ourselves."

"What if she comes back for me? This means she still has a claim on me, doesn't it? If things were different, if I was just Naomi's-"  
>"Emily, you are your own person. You do not <em>belong <em>to anyone. As for Sophia, well I was poisoned with silver once. It was in Italy during the crusades…it took me a good long while to recover from it. It could be years before she's even strong enough to make her next move… decades even! Like I said, you've got time to think things over. You can choose to live and know that you can change your mind at any time, or you can end things now, but you can't change your mind later... Think about it." She offered her a familiar loving smile before slipping back out of the room; leaving the cup full of blood behind.

************

"Em? What are you doing out here?" Naomi cautiously dropped down on to the grass beside her girlfriend. She'd gone up to check on her and had found her room empty. The little redhead was sitting crossed legged and bare footed on the patch of grass outside Gina's house. The previous day and night had passed in a blur and the sun was creeping over the horizon, threatening to burst out at any minute. Naomi looked uneasily up at the pregnant sky, aware that direct sunlight could still harm the other vampire. They wouldn't know for sure when it would be safe for Emily to go out in the sun, it would be a painful process of trial and error; unless Emily had something else planned. "It'll be light soon, we should get back inside." She tried to put a hand on the younger girl's arm, but Emily stiffened and pulled away from the simple touch as though it had burned her skin like the hot touch of the sun.

"What if I just wanted to stay here?" Emily finally spoke after what seemed like an eternity. She turned to face her lover with an almost unreadable expression and Naomi wasn't quite sure whether she was seriously considering ending her life in the morning light. It would be quicker than starving to death; but then the empty blood stained cup in her hands suggested that she had already fed. Naomi shuffled closer to her, not giving her the opportunity to pull away as she laced their fingers together on the grass.  
>"Then I'll stay with you."<p>

Emily nodded, her eyes trained on the horizon. Sunrise had always been her favourite time of day. As a child she had often watched the sun rise from the window of the room she and Katie had shared; safe in the belief that the light would keep the monsters away and she could finally allow herself to sleep. "And what if I wanted to go back?"  
>"Inside?" Naomi quizzed, not quite following her. The other girl seemed almost drunk as she sat staring at nothing, her eyes glazed over and her voice hoarse.<br>"To how things were." Emily clarified, finally turning to look at the blonde. "What if I wanted to go home…back to _our_ home? Could we do that? Could we just…carry on?"  
>"We'd probably need to buy some curtains." Naomi laughed nervously, unsure of whether to get her hopes up or not. From what she had seen so far Emily didn't seem to know exactly what she wanted. "Other than that we could do it. We could go back."<p>

"I think some of Sophia's blood is still inside of me. I think she's…"  
>"I know." Naomi cut her off, her grip on her hand tightening as she gave her fingers a reassuring squeeze. Gina had filled her in in hushed whispers over the kitchen table. Naomi wasn't sure what Emily's reaction to the silver meant, but she didn't want to dwell on it. "We don't need to think about that right now. You're alive, that's all that matters… From the moment I first saw you, that night with Cook and the others in the club, I was done for. I knew I'd never want anyone else; and I knew I'd never be able to let you go." Emily nodded again, her throat feeling dry as she licked at her lips, still tasting the pig's blood on them. She thought of Cook, who despite everything had still been one of her closest friends. He had given up his life so that Naomi and Emily could try and make a go of things. He had given them a second chance; another life together.<br>"I won't feed on humans…and if I ever do anything like Katie and Effy did-"  
>"You won't." The older vampire reassured her, a certainty in her voice that Emily sadly didn't share. She was terrified of just what she could turn in to. She had seen the very worst of human and vampire kind a like. "I won't ever let that happen. I promise I will <em>never <em>let you become a monster."

"Ok." Emily pulled herself up just as the first rays of sunlight crept over the horizon. She held her hand out for the blonde and helped to pull her up to her feet. Their hands lingered together as Emily stepped in a little closer and brought their lips together in a soft, almost shy kiss; like they were once again strangers and just starting out together. It would take a while for Emily to adjust to life as a vampire and she wasn't looking forward to seeing her parents, or facing Sophia if she ever made a reappearance. She would just have to take it one day at a time though, and at present her most pressing issue was getting out of the early morning light that was biting at her flesh. "Let's go home."

**A/N: And that's all folks :) Sorry it took me a little longer to finish this chapter, I hate ending stories, especially ones I've been working on for so long! I've left it quite open ended as I've had a few thoughts about maybe doing a sequel at some point if there's any interest (Maybe for next Halloween if I can get the scraps of ideas together in to a workable plot). As ever thank you for reading and for all of the reviews and feedback. **

**Trufreak89.**


	42. Part 2 - Another Life Altogether

**Summary: **Cook's dead, Sophia's gone and the Fitch twins are vampires. As relationships and alliances change, Emily Fitch struggles to cope with her new life while trying to forgive Naomi for refusing to let her die.

**A/N: **So here's the sequel to 'In Another Life'(as promised in time for Halloween!) I decided to just add it to this fic rather than post it as a separate story, so people would be able to find it. I probably could have just carried it on as one long fic to be honest, but I thought it would be best to split it in to two parts since this one will have a lot more angst and it gives people a chance to stop with a sort of happy ending with 'In Another Life'. This is just a short prelude; I'll be posting the much longer first chapter later tonight, after I finish work.

* * *

><p><em><strong>'Another Life Altogether'<strong>_

_**Prologue:  
><strong>_

Emily Fitch took in a deep breath in through her nose, holding it for a second before letting the air escape back out through her mouth. The young vampire had no physical need to breathe anymore, but it was hard to break a lifelong habit. She had been a vampire for a little over a month and she was still coming to terms with her new life. She had yet to see her family since she'd been turned; save for her twin Katie, who had been turned a few weeks before her.

Emily couldn't face her parents or her little brother. She had been ready to die when she'd gone up against Sophia, one of the oldest living vampires in existence, and a part of her had even longed for it; but instead of dying an honourable hunter's death, she had been turned, becoming the very thing her family had hunted for generations.

She had refused to feed at first, believing that starving to death would be a better option than living as a vampire. Her resolve had weakened though, when Naomi, her sire and lover, had asked her to give her new life a chance. Emily had reluctantly given it a go. She'd fed on animal blood and had listened to the endless advice that Gina, the very first vampire to be created, had to offer her on living as an abstainer; a vampire who refused to feed on human blood.

Gina's words of wisdom were all well and good, but they didn't make it any easier for Emily to actually live with what she had been turned in to. Whether she fed from humans or animals, she was still a monster. She could abstain from human blood for years, even decades, but it would take just one slip for her to give in to her true nature. She was now a vampire, the most deadly of all creatures, and it would be easy for her to become a killer.

Her own sister had massacred a house full of people the night before Emily had been turned. The younger twin had been prepared to give her life in order to save Katie, offering herself up in exchange for Sophia covering up the murders. Emily closed her eyes over; she could almost taste the coppery tang that had stained the air in that house. She had been human then, and the scent of blood had burnt at the back of her throat as she'd taken in the terrible things her sister and her girlfriend, Effy, had done. Katie was drowning in guilt over what had happened. Like Emily, she too had been a vampire hunter in her previous life and the reality of what they had become made her sick to her stomach.

Emily could do nothing to help her twin though. She was struggling each day just to keep her own head above water. Her eyes opened slowly as she felt the sun creeping over the horizon. It was mid-July, so the sun rose earlier in the mornings. Emily was still sensitive to sunlight. Unlike her twin, who had been turned by a relatively young vampire, Emily still couldn't venture out in the daylight. She had been confined to her girlfriend's mother's house for almost a month, unable to go out during the day. The flat she and Naomi shared had too many full length windows for the young vampire to be able to live there, so they were staying with Gina until Emily's allergy to the sun cleared up. No one could tell her when that would be though.

Modern vampires were no longer allergic to sunlight, so vampires like Katie could go out during the day straight after being turned. Emily however, was the product of two vampire sires, one of which was thousands of years old, so the vampire virus running through her veins was unpredictable. There was no telling how long she would have to continue living in the shadows. She couldn't stand the dark anymore; she couldn't stand any of it.

She winced as the sun climbed higher in the distance, the dazzling light burning her eyes. She took a few laboured breaths as she clenched her fists and tried to endure through the pain. The teenager was sitting on the patch of grass in front of Gina's house. It had taken a month for the others to trust her outside alone. After she'd first been turned, when she had wanted to die rather than live as a vampire, they had smothered her with their love and unending attention. It felt like she hadn't had a minute to herself in weeks. Finally though, they had stopped waiting for her to fall apart again. They had started to let her come and go from the house as she pleased, trusting her to return before first light. It had taken over a month, but Emily finally found herself alone, sitting on the grass, waiting to welcome the morning sun.

She had left a note on her pillow. It would be the first thing Naomi would see when her pale blue eyes cracked open later that night. Vampires didn't necessarily need to sleep, just as they didn't really need to breathe, but Emily had taken to sleeping the day away and Naomi, trying to be a supportive girlfriend, would sleep beside her. The blonde would blame herself for what was about to happen to Emily. The guilt would eat away at her and she would hate herself for not spotting the signs that Emily was struggling.

The younger vampire couldn't worry about that though. She had spent her whole life worrying about other people; her twin, her parents, her friends. For once in her life she was going to put her own needs first; and Emily Fitch needed the pain to end.

She stood up and stretched her arms out wide as she threw her head back, greeting the morning sun as it exploded over the rooftops. The pain was intense as the sun's rays burned in to her skin, but at the same time the young hunter felt numb. It would be over quickly. Her body would burn in a baptism of cleansing fire, leaving only a pile of smouldering ash behind on the grass. Emily's eyes closed over again as she felt an overwhelming sense of calm wash over her; she was finally at peace.

"Emily…"


	43. Chapter II

Naomi Campbell frowned at her reflection in the wing mirror of her car. Her hair was a windswept mess and she struggled to get it to sit right. She'd grown it out a little bit and had foolishly decided to keep it down when she'd left the house that morning. She nervously fussed over her appearance for another few minutes, regretting everything about what she was wearing. The black tailored suit she was wearing made her look like she was going to a funeral, not a birthday celebration; and the collar of her white shirt was studded with little metal squares that kept hitting against her neck as the wind raged on. It was windy for early June and the sky overhead was nefariously dark.

Finally summoning up her courage, she locked her car and walked across the all too familiar patch of grass. Emily's birthday present was tucked safely under her arm. It had taken her weeks to finally settle on something. It was the younger girl's 21st after all, the gift had to be absolutely perfect. Naomi felt nervous about walking over. It had been a while since she had spoken to the other girl and the guilt was eating away at her. She'd left the city for a few months, desperately needing some space. Raising a fledgling vampire had been harder than she remembered the first time around; with Cook.

Thinking of him still made her chest ache. They had been bound by blood and, though he'd been gone for close to three years now, his loss was still just as raw as the night Naomi had watched him stake himself. He had done it for Emily, but the young hunter hadn't appreciated his precious gift.

Raising any young vampire came with its problems, but raising the daughter of hunters was a special kind of hell. Naomi felt like she was constantly being watched and criticised and she had finally snapped earlier in the year. She'd left the city looking for some time alone, to finally be able to grieve in peace; but she'd made sure to get back to Bristol in time for Emily's birthday. Twenty one was a big deal to humans. Naomi herself was approaching one hundred and fifty, though she hardly felt like celebrating.

"Hey. Sorry I'm later than I said I'd be." She apologised, but was met with stony silence. Biting her lip, she carried on. She hadn't expected the other girl to forgive her so easily for leaving. She hadn't even told her she was going. Naomi had just woken up one morning, packed a bag and left. "I got you a present though; you're going to love it." She grinned as she pulled a jewellery box out from under her arm. She opened it up, giving Emily a good view of the antique diamond necklace she had picked out for her.

"I think she'd get more use out of a gnome or something." James Fitch slunk up behind Naomi, having seemingly appeared out of nowhere. Emily's annoying little brother had grown in to quite the hunter over the last few years. He'd shot up to almost six foot tall and, at sixteen, was still growing. "She's not in there you know." Naomi pointedly ignored him as she leant forward to place the jewellery box on top of Emily's headstone. She ran her fingers along the smooth carved rock of Emily's name and her date of death. Her parents had chosen to use the date of the human death; though she had lived as a vampire for a month before she'd ended her life. The morning sun had consumed her body, leaving only a handful of ash behind in her wake.

Taking a deep breath, more from habit than actual need, Naomi turned to face the youngest Fitch with a wry smile. "Someone's been practising. I didn't even hear you coming." Despite his giant size, with his broad chest and large arms, he was still a teenage boy, and he blushed furiously at Naomi's praise.  
>"I've been practising." He announced proudly. After Emily's death, he had started to take his father's training seriously. Emily was gone, but no one was quite sure what had happened to Sophia. James Fitch wanted to be ready if she ever surfaced again.<p>

The teenager pushed his overgrowing sandy brown hair out his eyes as he took a seat on the grass beside Naomi. He stared glumly at his sister's gravestone as he pulled up clumps of grass with his fists. He opened his palms, letting the wind take away the blades of grass. He was wearing a loose fitting hoodie over a pair of worn and faded jeans. Naomi could see the glint of the silver knife he had tucked in to his waistband; Emily's switchblade. She had left it with him the night she'd given herself up to Sophia. James had been the only one she had confided in when she'd decided to sacrifice her human life to save her twin; though he hadn't known it at the time. The guilt of not being able to stop Emily in time was something the pair shared in common. Unlike the rest of the Fitches though, James didn't blame Naomi for any of it.

Emily had never told her parents _why_ she had gone to Sophia to let her turn her. They had no idea that she had done it to help cover up the massacre that Katie and Effy had been responsible for. Even after Emily's death, her parents had been kept in the dark about her reasoning for giving up her humanity; so of course they'd blamed Naomi. She was a vampire after all; it was natural for the hunters to blame her for everything that had happened. Naomi, in turn, didn't blame them for feeling that way.

"Mum's been crying again." James let out the heavy sigh of a man twice his age. "We're supposed to be having a dinner for Katie tonight. It doesn't seem right, celebrating their birthday without Em."  
>"It's not." Naomi agreed as she slung an arm over one of his massive shoulders; the result of a childhood spent on the naughty bar. "But Katie's still here. You still have to celebrate <em>her <em>life."  
>"She's not even alive!" James snapped petulantly, sounding more like the thirteen year old she had first met him as; his cheeks coloured again as he remembered that Naomi and Katie were one and the same. "Sorry." The blonde shrugged at him, choosing not to comment on it. She could only imagine what kind of turmoil he lived with on a daily basis. He was the latest in a long and proud line of vampire hunters that had been raised to hate the creatures they hunted; yet at the same time his older sister was a vampire.<p>

"I'll tell you what. Go to this stupid dinner thing tonight for Katie and your mum's sake, and I'll take you out for dinner next weekend. We'll celebrate you finishing your exams." Naomi had taken the youngest Fitch under her wing in much the same way that she had adopted Katie. Of all the things in Bristol that she had been running away from, James hadn't been one of them. He'd taken her leaving just as hard as Katie had, and he'd refused to speak to her for the first week. He'd caved soon after though and had called or Skyped her practically every day.  
>"Really?" His young face lit up and he threw his arms around the blonde, almost crushing the vampire. There was a day's worth of stubble on his chin as it brushed her cheek, and the heavy scent of his aftershave reminded Naomi that he wasn't the same little boy he had been when both of his sister's had still been alive. He had a not so secret crush on her, but Naomi had chosen to ignore it rather than address the problem.<p>

There had been no one else since Emily. It was like her heart had literally withered up and died the morning she'd woken up alone in bed, a searing pain in her chest letting her know that something was terribly wrong. Finding the pile of ash on the grass in front of the house had almost destroyed her, and it had been a long time before she'd been able to care for herself, never mind either of Emily's siblings. "Really." She pulled back and ruffled up his hair with her hand, trying to re-establish the considerable difference in their ages. James was still just a child, even if he had the body of a man.

"Want me to drop you off anywhere? I've got to go pick Katie up soon." Naomi glanced at her watch. She had been hoping to spend longer with Emily, but as usual it was the living that demanded all of her time.  
>"Nah, I'm good. I've got my bike." James declined the offer, but walked out of the cemetery with her anyway. He stopped in front of a battered old BMX that was chained to one of the metal railings. "Is she still going to those AA meetings then?"<p>

Katie Fitch hadn't tasted a drop of human blood since the night she and Effy had been responsible for a massacre at a house party. Emily's suicide had been the last nail in the coffin, so to speak, in convincing Katie to abstain from blood. To help her cope, she had been attending Alcoholics Anonymous meetings; seeing as there was no type of Bloodsuckers Anonymous for Vampires. Naomi had helpfully suggested Katie and Gina start a group of their own, but she had been met by a scathing scowl from her mother and some foul remarks from the younger vampire.

She said her goodbyes to James and drove in to town to collect his sister. The local AA meetings were held in St. Peter's church, a small, pre-war, stone building that was crumbling from the inside out. It didn't look much like a church from the outside. Sitting a little way back from the street, it was nestled between a charity shop and a newly opened _Starbucks. _Only the plain wooden cross on the roof showed the building for what it really was; along with a small noticeboard standing on a patch of grass that cheerfully announced, 'Jesus Saves'.

Naomi wrinkled her nose at the cross looming over her as she approached the front door. It wasn't that she was afraid of it or anything; it was a fallacy that crosses, or any kind of religious artefacts, affected vampires. They weren't demons sent from hell to plague the earth. Vampires were just ordinary humans who had been infected by a virus that had altered their very evolution. Naomi's own sire, Gina, had been the very first carrier of the virus after being bitten by an ancient creature that had lived in the mountains close to her Gaelic village. No other being had ever survived its bite. In doing so, Gina's genetic structure had been altered beyond recognition, creating a superior race of beings that depended on the blood of others to survive.

The thing with the crosses had come about centuries later, when humans had tried to demonise the vampire race by claiming they were in league with the devil. The vampires who had been turned afterwards had been so pious that they had convinced themselves that crosses and holy water would burn them. The fear had been completely psychological, but their convictions had been strong enough to perpetuate the myth for generations. Naomi seldom attended church anymore. Despite her deeply religious upbringing and years of Sunday school as a child, she no longer held any stock in a magical being that was all knowing and ever present in the world. Age had turned her cynical and experience had taught her to be sceptical.

She slipped in to the small assembly room at the back of the church. There was a large tea urn set up on a table, next to it there were empty cups and a plate of very stale looking digestive biscuits. The chairs in the room were all arranged in neat little rows, facing an old wooden podium at the front. Naomi took a seat in the back row, not wanting to disturb the proceedings. Katie was up front, getting ready to speak.

She was wearing a pretty pastel pink blouse over light grey trousers and her long dark hair was tied neatly up in a bun. Her makeup was minimalistic. She no longer plied it on with a trowel, like she had back in college. Despite not aging a single day since she had been turned, just shy of eighteen, she had grown in to quite a sophisticated young woman; she looked like she would be more at home in a young Conservatives meetings, rather than AA.

"My name is Katie, and I'm an addict." She announced to the whole room with her shoulders back and her head held high. "I haven't had a drink in nearly three years." She wasn't exactly talking about the alcoholic kind of drink; those she still had in abundance, to try and take the edge off of her _real_ thirst. AA was the only place she could really vent her frustration at living a life without human blood. Though her fellow addicts weren't bloodthirsty vampires, they understood what it was like to constantly be craving the next drink.

"Hi Katie." The room chorused back at her, some voices sounding more enthusiastic than others. The meetings always drew a mix of people, from the city types in their pressed suits, to the great unwashed; like the man sitting to Naomi's right. His clothes were stained with things that Naomi didn't even want to think about, and his grubby fingers were clutching a half-eaten digestive biscuit. Most of the other half of the biscuit seemed to have crumbled and gotten stuck in his scraggily beard. He reeked of booze and stale piss, but underneath that lurked an even more unpleasant smell. He smelled of death and decay. Clearly the man was dying of something progressive. If Naomi had to guess, then the off yellow kilter of his skin would suggest kidney failure. It was a little too late for him to be attending AA.

"In two days' time I'll be getting my three year chip. I haven't touched a drop of drink in that time for one reason..." Katie paused, whether it was for dramatic effect, or simply to compose herself, Naomi couldn't tell. "My sister is dead because of my addiction." There were a few new faces in the crowd who looked shocked by her revelation, but most of the group were long time members who had heard Katie's story before. They nodded their heads sympathetically as she spoke.

"She was more than just my sister. She was my twin, and it's like I lost this huge part of me when she died…she's dead because I couldn't control myself. A few days after our eighteenth, I made a huge mistake...and Emily was the one who paid for it. I haven't touched a drop since that night. Every time I'm tempted to, I think of her. I think of what she might have become if she'd lived. I think of her and it stops me from turning in to the monster I know I'll become if I don't keep a handle on my addiction…and then I come here and whinge at all you lot about it." She forced a laugh, trying to lighten the mood a little before stepping down from the podium. She was met by a round of applause.

The group leader, a young priest with rich black hair that was just starting to show signs of turning grey, squeezed her shoulder with a reassuring smile. He walked past her and took the stand to say the Lord's Prayer and bring the meeting to a close. Naomi hung around at the back of the room as she waited for Katie to say her goodbyes to the other people she knew from the meeting. Reverend Matthews caught her eye and started walking purposefully towards her. "Great." She muttered softly under her breath, wishing she'd just stayed in the car.

"Naomi, lovely to see you again, we're still waiting for the day you decide to join us properly." The reverend was a portly man in his early thirties, with an ever expanding waist and a receding hairline. His eyes were big pools of warm honey and always seemed to be in good spirits; it annoyed the hell out of Naomi.  
>"Sorry father, I couldn't possibly fit all of my sins in to an hour's meeting." She offered him a disarming smile as Katie made her way over towards them.<br>"Hey Naoms." She greeted the blonde, seemingly in a better mood than Naomi had expected her to be. The tiny vampire had almost throttled her the night before, when Naomi had just shown back up at the house they shared with Gina and Kieran; returning as unexpectedly as she'd left. "Ready to go?"  
>"Definitely." Naomi gave the priest another tight smile before following Katie out of the hall.<p>

Once they were outside of the church, Katie's good mood seemed to fade; her carefully polished act rubbing off as the wind hit them square in the face. She was uncharacteristically quiet as they got in to Naomi's car. It was only a little blue Corsa, but it got her from A to B; unlike Kieran's scrap heap of a car. "Looking forward to the dinner tonight?" Naomi quizzed, trying to make conversation since she couldn't get the radio to work and the silence was driving her crazy.  
>"Not really." Katie admitted, sighing heavily against the window and fogging it up with her breath. Her body had no real need for the oxygen her lungs took in, so most of it was expelled right back out. "Mum will probably end up crying all night and Dad will be drunk."<p>

"Maybe you should take him to AA with you?" Naomi's suggestion was met with frosty silence. She quickly moved on, trying to change the subject and lighten the mood. "So we're still on for tomorrow night then? Big birthday night out with the old crowd?" The old crowd consisted of their friends from college, most of who were blissfully unaware that Katie had technically died three years ago.

"Yeah. Sure." Katie replied, sounding less than enthusiastic about it. Naomi knew the other girl all too well. She knew exactly what was playing on her mind about their upcoming night out.  
>"Is Effy coming then?" Naomi tried to make the question sound casual, but it was easier said than done. Effy and Katie had broken up the previous year and things were still tense between them. Naomi felt like she was walking on eggshells any time she brought up the other girl's name. Katie gave an answering shrug, not even bothering to turn away from the window.<p>

"Did you go see Em?"  
>"Yeah." The blonde replied, feeling the same aching pain in her chest that she always did whenever Emily was brought up. She told Katie about bumping in to James too, mostly for something to take both of their minds off of Emily. By the time she pulled up outside the Fitch house the tension inside the car had eased off and Katie almost seemed happy again. She lost her smile as she glanced up at her family home like it was some kind of impending doom. <em><br>_  
>"I wish I could just run away from all of this." She admitted in a tiny voice. "Just get up one day and leave all of this drama behind." Naomi felt a wave of guilt over the girls' admission; after all, she had done just that a few months earlier. The older vampire had abandoned her adopted childe, leaving her to face her addiction alone. Naomi had been struggling with her own demons. Things had gotten to a point where she felt like going out and committing a massacre of her own. She'd known then that it was time to get out of the city for a while.<p>

Naomi squeezed Katie's hand lightly. She had no magic words of comfort that would take the pain away. Katie smiled sadly down at their joined hands. At one point in time she had actually hated the other girl. She had hated everything about her and everything she stood for, purely because she was a vampire. How things had changed. She unbuckled her seat belt and leant over to give the blonde a quick hug. "I'll see you later." She climbed out of the car and tossed Naomi a wave before she disappeared inside the house.

The older vampire was at a loss for what to do with her evening. Katie and James were spending the night with their family and Effy would be getting ready for work; she had taken a job as a bartender in a busy nightclub that catered for both humans and vampires. Gina and Kieran would be curled up on the sofa, sharing a bottle of cheap wine and watching rubbish telly. Without really thinking about where she was going, Naomi started up the car and just began driving again.

Before long, she found herself in the posh end of town, where fancy wine bars littered the street corners and all of the city yuppies were pouring in to overpriced bars and restaurants to start their weekends. Naomi parked up in one of the small pay and display cark parks and pulled on her long black coat. It looked like it would rain soon and then her hair really would be a mess.

Her boots clicked against the pavement as she crossed the street and walked through an unmarked door nestled between a café and a wine bar. The door led in to a long corridor, lit by old fashioned style gas lamps that were dotted at intervals along the walls. Her heels sunk in to the plush red carpet, making her feel unsteady on her feet. At the end of the corridor there was a reception desk, where a pretty young blonde woman greeted her with a pleasant smile.

"Welcome back Miss Campbell." She took her coat from her before opening the door she was standing in front of and ushering Naomi inside. Naomi responded with a nod of her head as she walked through the door and descended the stairs down in to the old basement that had been converted in to an exclusive club. She had never met the blonde vampire who was minding the door, but everyone at _Sophia's _knew her by name and sight.

She was a living legend amongst the members of the club. There had been a time when Sophia and Naomi had been two of the most feared vampires in existence. Naomi was hardly proud of her bloody past, but she had moved on from it. She had tried to go back to being the person she had been before Sophia had infected her mind. It hadn't worked; but at least she wasn't anywhere near the monster she had been when she'd been under the other vampire's thrall.

Naomi had been back to Sophia's club a handful of times after the ancient vampire had seemingly vanished. She'd hoped to find out what had happened to her after she'd been poisoned by Emily's silver laced blood, but no one had heard a thing from her. Naomi hoped that the other vampire had crawled in to some deep, dank hole and died, but she knew it was too much to ask for. Sophia was like a cockroach; she would survive a nuclear holocaust, never mind a bit of blood poisoning.

Naomi took a seat at the bar and ordered a neat double vodka. It burned the back of her throat as she chucked it back and asked for another. She was fishing her money out of her pocket when she felt a hand on her arm. "Your money's no good here, Naomi. The drinks are on the house." The blond looked up to find a familiar dark haired woman smiling down at her.  
>"Arianne." Naomi greeted her with a nod. She was the manager of the club, and had taken over running the business in Sophia's absence. Naomi had tried to press her for information on the other vampire's whereabouts, but the human hadn't given her anything. She was fiercely loyal to her boss. "And here I thought the ex-freebies expired along with Sophia." Naomi shot the human woman a look that most people would have found intimidating, letting her fangs slip out.<p>

Arianne rolled her eyes, like Naomi was a toddler throwing a tantrum in the middle of Asda. "Like I said, your drinks are on the house." She gave Naomi a knowing smile before disappearing back in to the crowd. The club was busy, which was to be expected for a Friday night in Bristol, and the human managed to slip out of sight. "Bitch." Naomi muttered, glaring at the space where the other woman had been standing. "Another." She grunted at the human barman with her fangs still on show. His eyes were wide and his lower lip was trembling; but his attention was fixed on something behind the blonde.

"Come now sweetie, is that any way to speak to the help?" Naomi sat staring at the empty glass in her hand, unable to turn her head to acknowledge the vampire who had just spoken. It felt like there was ice in her veins as she clenched her fists in front of her and her fangs strained against her gums. She tasted blood as she felt a hand on her back and her own fangs pierced her bottom lip.

"Sophia…" She growled, unable to believe her own eyes as she finally managed to turn her head to look at the other vampire. Her entire body was shaking as the older vampire took a seat beside her and addressed the barman. He obediently sat two tumblers down in front of them and then scurried away.  
>"Naomi." Sophia's voice was a low purr as she leant in close and ran her finger across the blonde's bleeding lip. She slowly brought the digit up to her mouth, her dark eyes never leaving Naomi's as she slipped the finger past her parted lips.<p>

"How…why…" The younger vampire was at a loss for words as she carried on staring blankly at Sophia. She had gone to the club on a whim to pass the time before going home to an empty bed; she had never expected to turn up and find Sophia Moore sitting there waiting for her. "What are you doing here." She finally managed to form a coherent sentence, but Sophia just chuckled softly at the question.  
>"I'm here for the same reason as you are…to toast to Emily's birthday." Her eyes held their usual mischief as she raised her glass towards the blonde with a smirk.<p>

"Emily's dead!" Naomi growled out. All of her pent up rage and anger was boiling away in her blood and threatening to erupt as Sophia dared to even speak Emily's name to her. "She's dead because of you!"  
>"Really?" Sophia's gaze lost all traces of mirth as she lost her smile and her eyes narrowed on the blonde. "I forget; was I the one who forced her to ingest silver, or the one who made her walk out in to the sun?"<br>"So you know what happened to her?" Naomi brought her glass up to her lips, trying to ignore the urge to smash it against the side of Sophia's face.

"I tried to keep track of her while I was recovering. The silver almost killed me; for such a tiny girl she had a hell of a lot of it in her blood. I don't even know how she made it over to my apartment." The ancient vampire almost sounded impressed.  
>"Pity it <em>didn't<em> kill you." Naomi lamented. She tipped her glass towards Sophia before finishing off her drink. She stared down at the bottom of the glass, feeling just as empty inside. "Did you feel it? When she died, did you feel it? She was yours too, you must have felt it." The ache inside Naomi's chest had never really left her since Emily's death and part of her hoped that Sophia could feel it too. They had somehow both ended up being responsible for turning Emily, so it was only right they both shared in the pain of her suicide.

"I felt her pain." Sophia admitted honestly. "That's all I _could_ feel back then. The pain of the silver was excruciating, but Emily's agony was worse. Her misery was singing to me in my blood for weeks, and then it just stopped. I knew then that she'd made her mind up to end it all."  
>"I didn't know." Naomi shook her head glumly. The guilt of failing to realise what Emily had been planning had almost killed Naomi in the months after the other girl's death. "I was so wrapped up in my own stuff, with Cook and everything else, that I didn't even notice how much Emily was suffering. Not until it was too late. I thought she was getting better, but then…" There were fresh tears glistening in the blonde's eyes and she rubbed hastily at them with the back of her sleeve.<p>

"I hate to see you hurting this much." Sophia sighed and leant over to try and caress the blonde's cheek. "Let me help you-" Naomi wrenched back violently and glared at her former lover.  
>"You can help me by crawling back in to whatever hole you've been hiding in for the last three years and dropping dead!" She got to her feet, intending to storm out of the club. Sophia's fingers dug in to her arm as she held her in place.<br>"Naomi, please, I'm offering to make it all better. Come home with me tonight; let's just put the past behind us and start fresh. What do you say?" She stared up at the blonde, her big dark eyes threatening to swallow Naomi whole.  
>"I say you're fucking crazier than I thought!" Naomi jerked her arm free. She pulled a crumpled twenty pound note out of her pocket and tossed it down on to the bar. "And I want <em>nothing <em>to do with you!"

8888

It was late when Sophia finally made it home. The sun was just beginning to pull itself lazily up in to the sky and its long tendrils were bathing the rooftops in a soft golden light. It was seasonably warm for early June. Summer was hovering right around the corner, meaning the days were growing longer and the nights were getting shorter.

Sophia nodded at the young man standing behind the reception desk and he gave her a polite smile in return. The apartments in the building she lived in probably cost more than the boy would ever make in a lifetime. Sophia had bought the penthouse apartment back in the fifties, when the post-war baby boom had meant space in the city was growing scarce and mankind started building up in to the sky.

The inside of the building had a very regal look about it. Few of the original features had been changed and the décor was based on the roaring twenties; a time Sophia held dear to her heart. She had been happy back then, with her father, Naomi and Cook. The four of them had spent most of the war between Bristol and London, making the most of the blitz to have their fill of unsuspecting humans. It had been a different world back then. The very air in the streets had hung heavy with the scent of fear and death as humanity threatened to tear itself apart; not that Sophia and her clan had been too concerned by it all. Human war was the business of humans.

She took the lift upstairs, the ancient thing taking its sweet time to reach the top floor. There were two apartments on the top floor, hers and another one belonging to an Arab gentleman who only spent maybe three or four months of the year in the city. Sophia herself had been away from Bristol for close to three years. Her home was one of the things she had missed most about leaving the city behind. She had property and businesses all over the world, but the apartment in Bristol had always been her favourite.

She unlocked the door and slipped inside, disappearing in to the darkness beyond the light that spilled in from the hall. The door closed with a soft click behind her, automatically locking itself. She shrugged her long red jacket over her shoulders and hung it up on one of the hooks by the door. Her eyes had adjusted to the dark instantaneously  
>and it might as well have been broad daylight given how well she could see.<p>

The apartment was cast in complete darkness, with all of the blinds and heavy curtains pulled over the windows. Sophia slipped the thin straps of her dress down over her pale shoulders, letting the fabric drop to the floor as she walked towards the living room. She stepped casually out of the expensive dress, leaving it crumpled on the floor. The ancient vampire had grown up in squalor as a child. Though her blacksmith family had been relatively wealthy, the people in their village had lived in crudely built houses made from wood and dirt. Her clothes had been little more than rags sewn together and her horse had probably been her most prized possession. Her humble upbringing was a far cry from the luxury she surrounded herself in every day. She burned through money like it was going out of fashion.

Free from her dress, she crossed the expanse of the living room wearing only her underwear. She wore a simple, yet elegant, matching black lace bra and knickers set. Her bedroom door was open and she walked straight in, not bothering to turn on the light. She could see perfectly well without it. "I don't think she'll ever learn…" She sighed out loud as she took a seat on the edge of her bed and unhooked the suspenders attached to the garter on her left thigh. She did the same with the right, letting the stockings fall to the floor the same as she had done with the dress.

Modern women rarely wore such things anymore, save for special occasions or the nights when they needed to spice up their dreary marriages. Sophia adored the feel of the soft silk stockings against her skin. "How many times do I have to offer her world on a plate, only to have her throw it back in my face?" She clucked her tongue in distaste as she spotted a ladder in one of her stockings.

Getting back to her feet she scooped the stockings up and walked over to the waste paper bin in the corner by the door. "Ungrateful bitch." She muttered, still stuck on how Naomi had turned her down. Deft fingers quickly unhooked her bra and she slipped off her underwear on the way back over to her bed. Naked, her pale skin shone in the darkness like a beacon. She paused at the full length mirror that was positioned on the wall in front of the bed. She had been turned by her father in her early twenties; a wise move considering how the modern world viewed children and adults. Had he turned her when she'd still been a teenager, when he himself had first been turned by Gina, then Sophia would have been trapped in the body of a pre-adolescent forever.

She had grown in to her long limbs and her breasts had filled out nicely in her late teens, leaving her an attractive young woman, forever immortalised in the prime of her life. She looked over her reflection for a minute more, pleased by the sight of her high cheekbones and the fullness of her pouting lips. She let her hair out, spilling her long dark curls down over her back.

"If only she'd known what she was turning down." She chuckled to herself as she turned back towards the bed and slid under the covers. The sheets were cold against her skin, but her body seldom registered a difference in temperature. "I could have made all of her dreams come true." She rolled over, moving in closer to the girl who was already lying in her bed. She wrapped her arms around the young woman as she buried her face against her hair.

"You weren't supposed to go see her." The younger vampire replied gruffly as she turned over to face Sophia. Her voice, which was naturally hoarse, sounded thicker from sleep. Despite her frown, there was no real resentment in her voice; she sounded more exasperated than anything else. She tried to roll back on to her side, but Sophia stopped her by climbing on top of her with a wicked smile. She used her knees and her thighs to pin the smaller girl down against the mattress.

"Don't be mad sweetie." She pouted down at the younger vampire before moving in to kiss her. The girl turned her head to stop her. She was clearly angrier than Sophia had first suspected. "I'm sorry I went to see Naomi. I know I promised not to. I just couldn't help myself…we _were_ toasting your birthday after all; twenty one at last, babe."


	44. Chapter III

_**A/N:** As ever, thanks for reading and for the reviews. I know some people are a little dubious about the direction this is going, but there is a reason for everything! It'll take a few chapters, but everything will make sense (at least that's the plan…). This is my NaNoWriMo project so I should be 50,000+ words in to it by the end of the month :)_

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><p>Emily's eyes opened slowly as her body fought its natural instinct to sleep during the day. The young vampire could feel the sun prickling against her skin, even with the heavy curtains drawn over the bedroom window. Her intolerance to the sun had lessened over time, but she still couldn't walk outside freely through the day without feeling the sharp sting of the sun's rays. She slipped soundly out of bed and stripped off the oversized t-shirt she had slept in before heading for a shower.<p>

She let the water heat up to a blistering temperature before stepping under the hot spray. Had she still been human the water would have been unbearable, but a vampire's skin was thicker and more enduring than a mortal's and she barely registered anything as the water lashed down against her. She stood under the water until her body was completely numb; unfortunately her mind was still racing. There was nothing she could do to stop that. Wrapping herself up in one of the big, fluffy white towels, she padded back in to the bedroom to find Sophia sitting up in bed. Her dark eyes tracked Emily's every movement as she walked over to the full length mirror.

The tiny vampire was met by the sight of pale skin that had barely seen the light of day for three years and long dark red locks spilling down over her shoulders. She hadn't aged a day since being turned. "You look as stunning as ever." Sophia slid up behind her and wrapped her arms around her small waist. She dipped her head to graze her lips against Emily's throat. The redhead stiffened and shrugged her off, overcome by the memories of the older vampire's fangs sinking in to her neck and bleeding her dry. Her stomach churned and had she had anything in it she would probably have retched. She tried to push away the memories, as well as the feelings they brought up. Coming home had been harder than she expected.

"I knew you'd be like this when we came back here." Sophia pouted and tugged her closer by grabbing hold of the front of her towel.  
>"Like what?" Emily snapped huffily. Her shower had done nothing to improve the foul mood she'd woken up in. Sophia seemed more amused than anything else as the younger vampire pulled away from her and began getting ready. She dropped back down on to the bed and watched silently as Emily let the towel slip from around her, revealing the small yet perfect body that Sophia had become intimately acquainted with since siring the younger vampire. The muscles in Emily's back were taught as she pulled on a white blouse and buttoned it up. She carried on getting ready, tugging on her jeans and drying her hair, all the while ignoring the older vampire glaring after her<br>"You've barely let me near you since we came back here." There was more than a hint of accusation in Sophia's voice. She had expected Emily to grow distant though, and was hardly surprised by the way she was acting.

"Well excuse me if coming back to the place I _died _in doesn't exactly put me in the mood!" Emily shot back at her, glaring at the older vampire's reflection. She felt her fangs slip out and pierce her bottom lip and she cursed at the sight of them. "Besides, you're the one who wanted to come back here, not me." The younger girl had no desire whatsoever to be back in Bristol. She had tried to dig her heels in when Sophia had told her they were coming back to the city, but it hadn't done her any good. Sophia had gotten her way in the end; just as she always did.

"I know, and I'm sorry I had to bring you back here; but it's only for a little while. Try not to be too much of an insufferable bitch until we leave, ok?" Her sire teased with an amused smirk as she wrapped her arms back around Emily's waist and nuzzled her lips against her ear. The smaller girl gave in to the contact, tilting her head back against Sophia's chest. "We won't be here long, and once we're done we can go anywhere you want." The offer was hardly a new one. They had spent three years flitting across the globe, going wherever Emily wanted. From the streets of Paris to the wilds of Africa, they had travelled the world with Emily trying to put as much distance as possible between them and her home.

"I don't care where we go, just as long as it's not here." Emily pulled away and picked up her sunglasses off the vanity table in the corner of the room. The dark glasses would shield her eyes from the morning sun when she left the safety of the apartment building.  
>"Where are you going?" Sophia followed her out of the bedroom, curious as to where the little fledgling was flying off to. She had made it quite clear that she wanted nothing to do with the city, or her old life, yet she seemed to be in a hurry to get somewhere.<br>"I just want to get out and get some air, ok?" Emily snapped at her impatiently. She had been cooked up in the apartment ever since they had arrived in the city a few days earlier and a stifling sense of cabin fever was beginning to set in.

"Ok." Sophia shrugged, used to the smaller girl's fiery temper. Emily was still relatively young for a vampire and sometimes it was difficult for her to keep her emotions in check, unlike her ancient sire who seemed to have adopted the perfect poker face over the many centuries she had lived through. "It's not like I'm keeping you prisoner." The other girl was free to come and go as she pleased, and she always had been. She could have walked away from Sophia at any time over the last three years; but she had chosen not to.

Part of it was the bond she shared with her sire. She had felt an overwhelming sense of calm the morning Sophia had turned up at the house, and stopped her from ending her own life. The pain of the morning sunlight had been pure agony, but it had been nowhere near as bad as the anguish she had felt inside at becoming a vampire. Her mind and body had been constantly at war with one another; with her body craving blood and her proud hunter's mind set sickened by her very existence. Sophia had taken all of that pain away.

She'd bundled Emily in to her car, shielding her from the sun's scorching rays and holding her until her physical scars had healed over. She'd taken Emily far away from the city and her tortured past, offering her a new life as her childe and helping her to deal with the changes her body had gone through. Emily had never tasted human blood and she had never killed another human being. She had never lost control like her sister had, and she had Sophia to thank for that. "I'll see you later." Emily grumbled at her sire, still unable to shake the mood she had woken up in.

"Aren't you forgetting something?" The older girl cocked a perfectly groomed eyebrow at Emily in a way that reminded her off Effy. She felt a familiar longing for her old life back as she thought of the friends she'd left behind, but she pushed the feeling deep down and ignored it. She'd made her choice a long time ago. As her mother would have said, she'd made her bed and she had to lie in it.

"Sorry." Emily mumbled as she leant forward to press her lips to her cheek. Sophia smiled down at her, some of her own anger disappearing as she picked up the white stick hanging from the coat rack behind her.  
>"I meant this." She handed Emily the cane and moved in to kiss her on the lips. The kiss was chaste, with Sophia's lips moving slowly yet purposefully as her fingers tangled in Emily's hair. She ran her thumb along the line of the smaller girl's jaw, softly caressing the side of her face before she took a step back. "Be careful out there."<br>"I always am." Emily gave her a wry smile before taking her cane and slipping out of the front door.

She took the lift down to the ground floor and greeted the elderly man standing behind the reception desk with a friendly hello. It was the same employee who had been manning the desk the day she and Sophia had moved back in to the apartment and he quickly fussed over her. The man was in his late fifties and had thinning grey hair and a slight limp. Emily hated the fact that he had to drag his stiff left leg all the way across the lobby to get the door for her. She was perfectly capable of opening it herself, but of course the old man saw her dark glasses and cane and thought she was some poor defenceless blind girl; he had no idea how deadly she really was.

Once she was outside, the sun hit Emily square in the face and the world around her was reduced to a shadowy blur. She had inherited Naomi's immunity to silver, but Sophia's ancient blood had left her with sensitivity to sunlight. She had managed to build up a tolerance of sorts over the years, mostly by exposing her body to the light and simply enduring the pain. Her skin no longer burned in direct sunlight and she could walk around in the daylight for hours at a time without any ill effects; her eyes still hadn't quite adjusted though and she found herself effectively blind during the day.

Her other senses more than made up for her lack of sight and she was able to get around safely on her own. At first Sophia hadn't let her out of her sight for more than a few seconds at a time, afraid that Emily would do something stupid if left to her own devices. The younger vampire had eventually earned her freedom back and was free to come and go as she pleased.

She had left the apartment without any real sense of direction, but before long she started to recognise the familiar scents and sounds of the city she had grown up in. She could almost see the streets she was walking on as her memories replaced the blanks in her vision. She walked blindly for a while before stopping dead in her tracks as a familiar scent assaulted her senses. It had been a long time since she had been in the city, but she could still recognise the scent of her own bloodline.

She tried to get her bearings back as she moved in close to the metal railings that she had been trailing her cane along. She ran her fingers along the sign that was bolted to the railings. She was unmistakably outside of her old high school. It was just after lunch time, so most of the students were already back inside the building, leaving behind only the aroma of fast food, stale smoke and rampant hormones.

Emily could hear footsteps coming up behind her. She nervously folded her cane and tucked it away in to the pocket of her jacket just before the three teenage boys reached the corner. They all smelt of too much _Lynx_ and cheap aftershave and their voices were loud and grating on Emily's nerves; like nails being dragged down a chalkboard. One of the voices, and probably the loudest, belonged to her brother James.

She had been thinking about her family when she'd walked out of the apartment she shared with her maker, so it was no surprise that she had unconsciously tracked her younger brother down. He'd probably been in to town for his lunch, since the year elevens were allowed to leave the school grounds at lunchtime. Emily quickly thought on her feet and wrapped her scarf around her head, to cover her dark red hair in a bid to pose as her twin.

"What are you doing here?" She heard the frown in James' voice as he and his friends approached her. Emily wasn't sure whether to be relieved or annoyed at how easily her brother could be fooled in thinking she was Katie. She decided to match his defensive tone in a bid to stop him focusing too closely on her.  
>"Why aren't you in class?" She shot back at him. "Mum will go off it if you're skipping!" Emily mimicked her sister's voice perfectly. It was a game the twins had perfected over years of covering for each other. James had never been so easily led by the trick before, but Emily supposed that he had no real reason to suspect that it wasn't actually Katie standing in front of him, berating him for being late. After all, Emily was dead as far as he was concerned.<p>

"Like she'd even notice!" James scoffed down at her. Though she couldn't see him in any great detail, Emily could just make out his hulking form towering above her. She could tell just how much he'd grown from the pitch of his voice from above; Sophia had taught her how to rely on all of her senses when walking around in the daylight, rather than just her eyes, so being virtually blind wasn't quite as debilitating as it would have been if she'd still been human. "My exam isn't until two. I told you last night! God, why does no one in this family ever listen to me?" He snapped, playing up in front of his friends.

"I'm sorry." Emily apologised quietly, her voice taking on a very _un_-Katie like tone. She could almost feel her brother's gaze burning down on her as she shuffled nervously.  
>"Are you ok?" He took a step closer towards her and away from the prying ears of his friends. Emily took a hasty step back.<br>"I'm fine. It's just…well…this time of year. It all gets a bit too much."  
>"Tell me about it." James sighed forlornly. He caught her off guard as he stepped forward and wrapped his arms around her.<p>

Emily stiffened at the contact. She couldn't remember the last time her little brother had hugged either her or Katie. How would her twin react to it? Would she hug him back, or push him away with some scathing remark about him trying to cop a feel? The truth was Emily just didn't know. She had no idea what her twin and the rest of her family were like anymore. In the end she gave him a brief squeeze back and pulled away. She made some lame excuse about being late to meet Effy in town.

"You two are talking again then?" James sounded surprised, but it was too late for Emily to try and cover the lie with another one. She just shrugged up at where she hoped his face was.  
>"It's early days…what you said about Mum before, is she ok?"<br>"No. She's not." She heard the scorn in his voice as he quickly turned defensive again. "She hasn't been the same since Emily left, you know that.  
>"James, Emily didn't leave. She died-"<br>"She killed herself!" He cut his sister off with a growl. "She. Left. Us!"

"She didn't have a choice!" Emily desperately tried to defend herself to her little brother. She wanted nothing more than to tell him everything. She wanted to tell him why she had been prepared to end her own life, and more importantly, why she had fled after she couldn't go through with it. She couldn't tell him anything though. He could never know his sister was still alive; and so very sorry for what she had put her family through.

"She had plenty of choices, Katie…" His anger seemed to deflate as he let out a deep sigh. "I miss her." His deep, gruff voice cracked and for a second he sounded like the whining thirteen year old she had last known him as.  
>"Me too." Emily answered honestly. "But she's gone and she can't ever come back…I've got to go." She sniffed as she brushed at the tears sliding down her cheek. "When you see Mum and Dad, tell them I love them, ok?"<p>

He answered with a nod of his head. Emily couldn't see it, but then she didn't stick around long enough for an answer. She walked away, taking confident, purposeful steps and praying that wouldn't walk in to anything or anyone until she was clear around the corner at the bottom of the street. Once she was sure she was out of sight she took her cane back out and allowed it to fold out. She made no attempt to move from the spot where she was standing, with her back pressed up against a wall and her head in her hands. Bumping in to James had shaken her. She could feel her resolve to stay away from her family slowly bending, but she couldn't let it break. She had to stay away from them; for her sake as well as theirs.

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><p>Naomi killed the engine of her car as she parked up in front of the battered old caravan that Rob Fitch had been calling home for over a year. His marriage had started to break down after both of his daughters had been turned. He and Jenna had tried their best to make a go of things, for the sake of their young son, but it just hadn't been enough. Losing Emily had caused a rift between them that had been too great to be fixed by marriage counselling or weekly family dinners.<p>

Naomi made sure to lock the car doors behind her. The caravan park was a far cry from the suburban estate that Rob Fitch had previously lived in; she didn't want to return to the car and find the radio or her purse missing.

Her boots sunk in to the soft mud as she made her way over to the patch of grass that served as Rob's garden. He was sitting in a plastic lawn chair, with his feet up on an upturned bucket and a bottle of beer in his hand. "Naomi." He nodded at her with a tight smile. There had been a time, not long after his daughter's death, when he had been ready to stake Naomi on sight. He had blamed her for everything, from Emily killing herself to Sophia disappearing off the face of the earth. Over time his burning anger had dwindled in to a smouldering resentment and they had developed a working relationship of sorts. He was still a hunter after all, and having a vampire like Naomi to feed him information on rogue vampires who were hunting illegally helped to keep his mind on his work, rather than his family.

"Rob." She greeted him with a nod in return as she bent down to take out a beer from the cooler sitting beside his chair. He offered her the bottle opener, but Naomi didn't need it. She gripped the cap between her teeth and twisted it clean off. Rob winced at the sight and rubbed at his jaw. He popped his feet down off the upturned bucket and Naomi took a seat. The cold beer went down far too easily. She had almost finished it in one gulp. She sat quietly staring down at the grass, working up the nerve to tell Rob what she had come over for. He didn't rush her, though after a few minutes of silence he finally spoke up.

"You just pop over for a beer and a chit chat or what?" Rob sat back in his chair, supping his own beer. He looked like a man without a care in the world. His hair, which had always been long but well managed, had grown out of any semblance of a style. There was at least a week's worth of stubble on his face and the dark hair was streaked with grey. There were lines around his eyes and mouth that had not been there a few years previously; he had aged ten years in only three. What Naomi had to tell him would probably add another ten years to his face.  
>"Sophia's back."<p>

Whatever Rob had been expecting her to say, it wasn't that. He fell deadly silent and collapsed back in to his chair like the wind had been knocked out of him. "When?" He growled out through clenched teeth. His fists were balled up at his sides and his heart had started beating twice as fast.  
>"She showed up yesterday." Naomi had wrestled over the decision to tell him, or any of the Fitches, about Sophia coming back to the city. Emily's birthday had seemed like the wrong time to drop that particular bombshell on them though, so she had waited until the next morning to go and see Rob. She hadn't even told her mum.<p>

"The Council would never sanction her death warrant." Rob glowered. "Marcus might not like her, but as far as the law's concerned she did nothing wrong. Emily chose to…" He trailed off, unable to finish his sentence. The hardest part of coming to terms with his youngest daughter's death had been that she had chosen it. Emily had agreed to be turned. She had done it to protect her sister, but part of protecting her had meant no one could know her reasoning behind allowing Sophia to turn her.

"The Council would never have to know." Naomi replied, her voice coming out flat and cold. "I haven't told anyone else." Rob nodded absently as he picked up another beer and popped the top off. His eyes were glued to the ground as he rubbed at the stubble on his chin.  
>"If we do this, if we kill her without the Council's sanction, it could lead to war. You know that don't you? You'd need to pick a side." He finally looked up, his big brown eyes burning in to her. They were Emily's eyes; shining up at her with a wealth of expectation.<br>"Don't worry. I already know which side I'm on."

The house was thankfully empty when Naomi stumbled through the front door. She had spent hours sitting outside Rob's caravan, planning how and when to take Sophia on. The other vampire was one of the oldest of their kind and she wouldn't be easy to kill. Naomi could only hope that she was still weak from the silver poisoning three years earlier. There was no other reason she could think of that would explain her disappearing for so long.

The blonde kicked off her boots at the bottom of the stairs, after leaving a trail of muddy footprints along the hallway. She only had a few hours before she was supposed to be going out for Katie's birthday, so she headed upstairs to put her head down for a bit. The alcohol in her system would be completely gone by then. Since a vampire's metabolism was so much faster than a human's, it took a lot to get Naomi drunk and to keep her that way.

Her bed was a welcome relief as she flopped down on to it. She didn't even care that her legs were dangling off the end. She just needed to lie down and take a moment to collect her thoughts. It had been a shock to see Sophia the night before, had she not been so surprised to see the other vampire she probably would have tried to kill her there and then. Her eyes closed over of their own accord as she settled down to sleep.

"You really think your little plan is going to work eh Blondie?" Naomi's eyes opened slowly as she let out a heavy sigh and rolled on to her side.  
>"Leave me alone, Cook." She glowered at the vampire sitting perched on her desk. He had his knees tucked up in front of his chest and his chin resting down on them. His eyes were alive with mischief as he uncurled himself like a lazy cat.<br>"I'd love to. You won't let me though. Will you?" With his knees no longer up, the hole in his chest was plain to see. His t-shirt was stained with dry, crusting blood and she could see his black, shrivelled up heart sitting inside his chest. She closed her eyes again, trying to forget about the horrible sight before her.

"You're not real, Cook. You died. Now leave me alone!" She shouted at the apparition sitting across from her, but just like the real Cook, he paid no attention to her.  
>"And whose fault was that, eh?" His tone was sharp and accusatory as his eyes narrowed on his maker. Naomi felt the familiar ache in her chest that had settled there since the day she had felt him pass away.<br>"Yours." She answered honestly. She sat up with her back against the wall and pushed her hair back from her face. "I didn't ask you to give your life for Emily's. I didn't have time to stop you."  
>"Would you have though?" He barked at her gruffly. "Would you really have stopped me if it meant you got to keep your precious little Emily?" Naomi's answering silence spoke volumes.<p>

"Leave me alone Cook. Just stop fucking haunting me already!" She spat at him, in no mood for the daily torture that his presence brought her. He let out a deep, gruff chuckle as he hopped down from the desk, his feet hitting the floor with absolute silence.  
>"I ain't no ghost Naomi-kins. I'm your guilt! I'm the part of you that hates yourself for letting Red down."<br>"I wasn't responsible for Emily dying. I did what I had to! She was the one who chose to kill herself!" Naomi repeated the usual mantra that she had been telling herself for years. She had played a part in Emily's death, but most of it had been on Emily. No one had forced her to give in to Sophia. She could have protected herself instead of her sister and she would still be alive; still be human.

"It isn't me you need to convince girlie." Cook held his hands up in mock surrender as he grew closer to the bed. "If you really believe that then _I _wouldn't be here. Fuck, you hate yourself so much you won't even give yourself a fucking break and let _her _haunt you! You've got to get your head back in the game Blondie! Sophia's back and it's time to put things right. You have to kill her; for Em."

"And for you." Naomi whispered quietly. There were tears building up in her eyes as she stared at her childe. The grotesque hole in his chest was the only thing she could focus on. He wore a lopsided grin as he shook his head at her.  
>"A little late to start thinking about me babe, don't you think?"<br>"I'm so sorry Cook. I-"

"Naomi?" Katie appeared at her door. "Talking to yourself again? They'll take you away." She teased, trying to lighten the mood. She was concerned about the blonde, but she knew better than to try and talk to her about how she was feeling. The older vampire had pretty much shut down after Emily's death and trying to get her to open up was like trying to draw blood from a stone.  
>"Katie." Naomi blinked and wiped at her eyes as the image of Cook disappeared. The first time she had seen him she had thought he was real, that he had somehow lived despite piercing his own heart with a chunk of wood. Before long it had become pretty clear that he was just a manifestation of her guilt. "Sorry, it's been a long week."<p>

"We weren't sure you were coming back." Katie slipped inside the room and took a seat on her desk where Cook had previously been sitting. "You just disappeared and we had no idea where you'd gone." Naomi had only returned to the city a few days earlier. Katie and Gina had been so happy to see her back home that they hadn't bothered to berate her for leaving in the first place. She'd known the honeymoon period wouldn't last very long, but she'd hoped Katie would wait until after her birthday night out to bring it up. She had too much on her mind without worrying about hurting the younger girl's feelings.

"Sorry." She repeated, feeling like the word had lost all meaning. How often had she said 'sorry' since Emily's death? How many times had she tried to apologise to Jenna and Rob and James and everyone else that she had let down by failing to protect the tiny human girl that had stolen her heart with one smile across a crowded nightclub?

"You know it wasn't your fault." Katie wasn't talking about her leaving anymore. "Emily chose to do what she did. It was stupid and selfish, but it was her choice. No matter how much it hurts, it's what she wanted. She's at peace now. You have nothing to feel guilty about."  
>"Thanks for lying." The blonde smiled weakly. "But we both know I have plenty to feel bad about." Naomi had considered telling Katie about Sophia being back. She had as much right to know as Rob did; but the fledgling vampire was still a bit of a wild card. She had spent three years getting her life back on track, abstaining from human blood and working hard to honour her twin's memory. Part of Naomi was worried that finding out about Sophia could send the other girl off the deep end again.<p>

"Have you spoken to Effy yet? Is she coming tonight?" Naomi quickly changed the subject before she could change her mind about telling Katie the truth about Sophia. She didn't want to ruin her big night; Katie more than anyone deserved a bit of fun.

"Not yet." The oldest twin went uncharacteristically quiet as she picked idly at the leaves of the plant sitting on Naomi's desk top. It was an ugly thing that her mother had put there to try and 'brighten up the room'. Naomi wasn't sure how a dying plant was supposed to accomplish that. "It's a Friday night, she's probably working anyway. I'm going to go start getting ready; it takes time to look this good!" She shot the blonde a playful wink before jumping down from the desk and rushing out of the room.

Naomi shook her head after her. They were both running from their problems, it was time they stopped to face them. She pulled her phone out of her pocket and lay on her back, staring up at the plain white ceiling as she waited for the call to connect. She let out a sigh of frustration as she got through to Effy's voicemail. "Stonem, pick up your fucking phone already! I left you a message the other day, about Katie's birthday? It's still on. We're all going out tonight. She wants you there. I know she hasn't called you, you know what that famous Fitch pride is like…she needs you Eff. Just turn up tonight, yeah?"


	45. Chapter IV

**A/N: Hey guys, so NaNoWriMo is going terrible… I have the first ten or so chapters all plotted out ready to write, but I've just gone back to working full time after a couple of months off work, so I have next to no time to write. I'm still hoping to pull 50,000 words out of the bag this month, but it might be close! So bear with me for updates!**

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><p>"Happy birthday, Katie!" Freddie pressed his lips against his friend's cheek before pulling back and pushing his overgrown fringe out of his eyes. Even at almost twenty-two he still looked like a perpetual teenage stoner.<br>"Thanks babe." Katie was beaming as she hugged him back. The oldest twin was in her element, at the centre of attention in the middle of the booth they'd claimed in the crowed night club. She'd curled her hair and chosen to wear a short, figure hugging gold dress and matching heels that added inches to her short stature.

She was practically glowing as she sat among her human friends. Freddie, JJ, Thomas and Panda had all come out to celebrate Katie's birthday. Though they weren't anywhere near as close as they had all been in college, the group still kept in touch and Naomi was glad they had all been able to make it to Katie's night out. She hadn't seen the younger vampire looking so care free and happy in a long time.

There was only one thing that could make the oldest twin's night even better, and Naomi spotted her hovering by the main entrance. "My round?" Naomi's question was met by a round of applause from the rest of the table.  
>"Champagne?" Katie suggested with a cheeky smile and a flutter of her eyelashes. She'd coated her lashes in gold mascara, making them look fuller and longer. Naomi rolled her eyes at her, but caved in to her request. There had been a time when the pair had been at each other's throats, but losing Emily had brought them closer together; Naomi would even go so far as to call the younger girl a friend.<p>

"Whatever you want birthday girl." She squeezed Katie's shoulder, promising to be straight back as she slipped out of their booth. Instead of going for the bar, she made a bee line to the door and the vampire sulking in the shadows. She had never actually seen Effy Stonem look uncertain, but the young vampire looked torn as she stared at Katie and her group of friends enjoying themselves. Once she would have had a place among them, but she felt like an outsider as she watched Katie's lips curl in to a smile at something Thomas had just said to her.

"We've got room for a little one." Naomi slipped up beside her wearing a wry smile as she drew Effy's attention away from her ex. She was holding something in her hand; a small, gift wrapped box. She held it out to the blonde as she shook her head.  
>"I can't stay. Can you just give this to Katie for me?" Naomi pointedly ignored the gift as she crossed her arms over her chest and stood her ground.<br>"Give it to her yourself. It's her birthday Eff; you can at least stay for one drink!"

"It's better if I don't." It was loud in the club and Effy was talking in little more than a whisper, but Naomi could hear her clearly. She had purposefully avoided letting Katie know that Effy was there in case the other girl refused to stay, but the blonde was determined to make her adopted fledgling happy on her birthday.  
>"Why can't you two just work things out? You still love each other…"<br>"It's not enough." Effy sighed, her voice tinged with a heavy, choking sadness. She thrust the gift back at Naomi, her eyes still fixed on Katie. "She's working so hard to live up to Emily's memory. I can't live like that. I can't give up the blood, Naomi; not even for her."

"Not drinking human blood is Katie's choice, she never asked _you_ to stop drinking it! She just wanted a little support." Naomi had overheard countless blazing arguments between the couple when they'd all been living at Gina's. Katie had chosen to stop drinking human blood after she and Effy had massacred a houseful of partygoers, but Effy hadn't had the strength to deny herself the thing her body was craving the most. Naomi understood just how hard it was to abstain from human blood. She had spent close to thirty years fighting her thirst, mostly in a bid to please her mother. She'd finally given in to her cravings after feeding on Emily's blood to heal. The youngest twin's blood had been the most amazing thing to ever pass her lips. There was no way Naomi would have been able to go back to living on pig's blood again after drinking from Emily.

"She'd never say it, but she blames me for what happened. If we hadn't fucked up then Emily would never have-"  
>"Sophia would have found some other way to get her." Naomi cut the other girl off as she tried to take the blame for Emily's death. "<em>She's<em> the one to blame. Sophia should be the one who pays for what happened to Em; Not us."  
>"Easier said than done when we have no idea what hole she's hiding in." Effy scrunched her face up in distaste at the mention of the ancient vampire.<br>"She's back in the city." Naomi kept her voice down low, hoping that the noise inside the club would keep Katie from overhearing their conversation.

Katie had been working hard to get a grip on her impulses and her temper, but there was a constant worry in the back of Naomi's mind that finding out her sister's killer was back in town would send her flying off the rails. "I spoke to Rob Fitch about it. We're working on a plan to take her out."  
>"I'm in." Effy growled. "Just don't tell Katie. That bitch being back is the last thing she needs right now."<br>"What she _needs _is her girlfriend." Naomi pointed out, hoping to convince the other girl to stay.

"She needs better than me." Effy shoved the gift she was carrying in to Naomi's hands before turning and stalking off out of the club. The heavy metal door slammed shut behind her as she reached the street and carried on walking. Her boots clicked against the pavement as she slipped down one of the many side streets that littered the city. Effy had lived in Bristol her whole life and knew the city as well as she knew the back of her hand. She'd been planning on heading down to the canal to get some alone time to think, but a shadow looming up ahead at the end of the alley made her stop. Her whole body tensed as she stood her ground, her mind was subconsciously racing to make the decision to fight or flee. The decision was taken away as the figure slowly walked towards her. The light from a nearby street lamp hit the young woman's sequined dress, sending a golden light dancing across the bricks of the buildings that lines either side of the alley. The walls seemed to be closing in on Effy as the other vampire drew closer.

Katie came to a stop right in front of Effy and crossed her arms over her chest. She had to tilt her head back to stare up at her ex-girlfriend. Her lips were set in a thin line and her eyes were full of fire as she asked, "Couldn't you have at least said 'hi' before you walked out? I saw you talking with Naomi; you both looked pretty cosy."  
>"You looked pretty cosy with Freddie." Effy snapped back. It was childish and she knew it, but there had been a time when she and Katie had spent almost every minute of every day together. She missed waking up with the tiny girl cuddled in to her side, and falling asleep with her in her arms.<p>

Too much had changed between them to go back to that. Katie needed someone who could be strong for her. She needed someone who could support her in fighting her addiction to human blood. Effy had never fought any of her newfound vampire nature; she had revelled in it. She had befriended Cook all those years ago, knowing exactly what he was. She had _wanted_ to be turned, to be saved from her mundane human life; and she would not apologise for it.

"Fuck off Effy…You know I'm not interested in him! I'm not interested in anyone else. I don't _want _anyone else!" Katie moved forward and Effy took a hesitant step back. She was hardly scared of the pint sized girl. She was scared of herself; of what she would do if she let Katie get too close to her. Moving out of the house they had shared with Gina and Naomi had been hard and keeping her distance for almost a year had been even harder, but she had done it. She had made it through the hardest part. There was no way she could let herself cave just because Katie was staring up at her with those gorgeous, big, brown eyes of hers.

"Katie." Effy let out a sigh that sounded more like a groan of frustration. "We've been through this. There's nothing more to talk about-"  
>"Who said anything about talking?" Katie slipped in closer, wearing an impish smile as she draped her arms around her ex-lover's neck. Her heels gave her an extra couple of inches, but she still had to lean up to reach Effy's lips. She tasted like lip gloss and cigarettes and Katie couldn't get enough. Her own lips moved frantically against Effy's as her nails dug in to the back of her neck. She heard a low growl building up in the other woman's throat and it spurned her on.<p>

It had been too long since she'd last had her hands on Effy's body. She wanted to explore every inch of it with her mouth, to reacquaint herself with a territory that had once belonged to her. The alley they were standing in hardly offered them any privacy, but Katie didn't care about anyone overseeing them as she worked her hand down between Effy's legs and up her skirt. The other girl gasped as she felt Katie's fingers slip unceremoniously inside of her. She wasn't used to the smaller girl being so domineering. It had seemed to take a lifetime to get Katie to have sex with her in the first place.

The oldest twin had been wary of taking things further between them, unsure of what she actually felt for Effy. She was pretty certain of what she was feeling as she pushed her ex back up against the brick wall behind them and crushed their lips together with a desperate urgency. She kept up a relentless pace as she pushed Effy over the edge, sending her thighs clamping around Katie's hand as she rode out her orgasm.

Despite having no real need to breathe, both girls were panting hard as they lingered in the alley, their heads were pressed together and their bodies were still joined. Katie was the first to move, slipping her hand out from under Effy's skirt. The movement seemed to startle them both out of whatever spell they had fallen under. Effy cleared her throat as she adjusted her skirt and looked anywhere but down at the Katie. "We're not the people we used to be, Katie." She sighed and leant forward to place a kiss on her cheek. "None of us are."

Back insides the club, Naomi was on her. She'd headed straight to the bar instead of going back to the table with the others and she was busy drowning her many sorrows at the bottom of a bottle. She hadn't exactly been shocked when Katie and Effy had split up. Katie had chosen to abstain from human blood and Naomi knew first hand just how isolating that could be. She'd turned her back on Cook and every other vampire she'd known when she'd gone back to Gina and to drinking only animal blood. It was hard for other vampires to understand why anyone would give up drinking from humans. Naomi could see how it would have driven a wedge between the two young lovers. It seemed she wasn't the only one doomed to be miserable and alone.

"Just look at all these blood bags, walking around without a care in the world. They'd be shitting themselves if they knew just what was in this club with them." Cook sneered beside the blonde. He was leaning casually against the bar, surveying the packed club and all of its revellers with a hungry look.  
>"Drop it Cook." Naomi warned, not bothering to look up from her glass. He wasn't really there anyway, so there was no point in looking him in the eye when she spoke to him. It was always the same. He'd just show up somewhere and start whispering in her ear. His words were dark and twisted, and made all the worse for knowing that they were really coming from her own mind.<p>

"It's pathetic Naomi-kins. You're pathetic! There was a time when we would have had our fucking pick of these meat bags! We could have drained this whole place dry and still gone looking for seconds!" He scoffed as his eyes carried on scanning the club. They settled on a small redhead and the corners of his lips twitched up in to a smirk. "That one."  
>"Stop!" Naomi growled, attracting some unwanted attention from a group of girls standing at the bar. She glared at them and they quickly moved away. "Just stop it, Cook. I'm not doing it!" Her fists were clenched at her sides as she fought to keep her eyes on the bar. It was easier said than done though and before long her gaze started shifting subtly towards the girl Cook was leering at.<p>

She was pretty, in a plain sort of way. She was slim and petite, but there was nothing particularly striking about her appearance, other than her colourful red hair. Naomi was transfixed as she watched the girl cross the club and head towards the door. She seemed to be on her own. "She's perfect!" Cook purred in her ear. "What are you waiting for?" Naomi didn't have an answer for him. Instead, she finished off her drink and got to her feet. She made it to the door without a second glance at the friends she was leaving behind.

The vampire was a natural predator and it was easy for her to follow the little redhead without arousing suspicion. Once they were on the street Naomi kept enough distance between them so that the girl was just out of sight of human eyes. The streetlights lit up her face as she walked under them, revealing a ton of makeup, heavily caked on. She was younger than Naomi had first thought. That still didn't stop the vampire from following her. Her age didn't matter; the blood running through her veins would still be just as sweet and tantalizing as it danced over her tongue.

Excitement started to grow in the pit of her stomach as she closed in on her prey in a quieter part of town. It was still early, so the city centre wasn't as busy as it would be later in the night, when all of the revellers started spilling out of the clubs. The human girl, who was probably no more than a teenager, stopped in her tracks and hastily looked over her shoulder as if something had spooked her. Naomi slipped effortlessly in to the shadows and waited for the girl to continue. Her hunger was mounting with every passing second and she could still feel Cook breathing down her neck, egging her on to get it over with and to drain the tiny human dry already.

She took a single step forward as the redhead carried on walking, but stopped abruptly as cold silver bit in to her throat. "You know silver doesn't hurt me, right?" She stood stiffly, trying to fight her hunger back down. Part of her wanted to turn around and rip her attacker limb from limb; but even in her primal state she knew that would be a bad idea.  
>"Silver or not, if I plunge this through your heart it will still kill you." The young hunter countered, pressing the blade harder against Naomi's throat so that it drew a small trickle of blood. "Seeing as you're hunting, I have every right to kill you-"<p>

Naomi slammed her elbow back in to the other woman's stomach and pulled away from her. The cut on her neck had already healed by the time she wiped at the blood with her sleeve. "One of these days, Mandy, I might just let you." She stared the hunter down, trying to ignore the sight of Cook hovering behind Mandy with his fangs out, like some theatrical _Nosferatu. _

"I don't know why you let this bitch push you about…" Cook drawled as he started circling the hunter. Mandy had grown in to quite the vampire hunter over the years and she had made it her business to make sure she threatened Naomi on a daily basis. She blamed her for Emily's death; just like everyone else seemed to. Mandy was saying something to her; at least Naomi thought she was. Her lips were moving, but she couldn't make out what she was saying. Cook was too distracting. "Hunters  
>used to be fucking terrified of <em>us!<em> We used to run this fucking city! Now look at us! I'm dead and you're a fucking pussy!"

"Shut up Cook!" Naomi stared straight past Mandy, at the empty space just over her shoulder. The young hunter frowned as she checked there was no one there. She shook her head, something close to pity in her expression.  
>"It's right what people have been saying about you. You've lost it… you're not even worth a stake-"<br>"I wasn't going to do anything." Naomi muttered weakly, her eyes were glazed over as she looked from Cook to the hunter and then down to the ground, like a hapless child caught in the middle of doing something naughty. "I wasn't…"

"Pathetic." Naomi wasn't sure who had said it, but when she looked back up Mandy was walking away from her and Cook had vanished along with her hunger. She felt sick to her stomach as she slumped to the pavement and sat curled up on the curb, fighting back a wave of nausea and self-loathing. There had been a time when she'd been able to fight off Cook's wicked little whispers. He'd first appeared to her a few months after Emily's death. She'd been even more of a mess back then, but she'd been able to ignore his insistence that she hunt. She'd managed to quash her hunger and go months without tasting human blood, but she knew from experience that abstaining from blood only made her all the more unstable.

She had fled the city to try and pull herself together. She wasn't sure it had worked though; she felt just as close as ever to losing her mind completely. The ground beneath her was wet from the earlier rain and the cold was biting in to her skin; but Naomi didn't care about any of that. She felt like she was drowning in her own despair as she buried her head in her hands and began to sob. Mandy was right; she was losing it.

From across the street, hidden in the shadows, a young redhead had watched the scene play out between the vampire and the hunter. She'd watched the blonde tracking a tiny human girl all of the way from the club they'd both came out of. She'd kept well hidden in the darkness, keeping out of sight and utilising her perfect night vision to keep track of the other vampire and her quarry.

The sight of the blonde crying tugged at Emily's heart strings. For a second she almost found herself walking towards her, until she stopped in her tracks; remembering with crystal clarity why she had stayed away for so long. No matter what she had once felt for the vampire, she couldn't let those feelings cloud her judgement. She slipped back in to the shadows and was gone by the time Naomi looked up again. Her head jerked up like she was some kind of puppet on a string. She frowned at a spot across the street from where she was sitting. She felt something in the air, something so tangible that she could taste it on her lips. "Emily…" Her eyes closed over again, and a slow smile crept over her lips as a sense of peace washed over her; she knew then that she really _had_ lost her mind altogether.


	46. Chapter V

"Damn it, sorry!" Emily hastily apologised as her cane struck someone's leg. It was the middle of the day and the harsh light of the sun had the young vampire stumbling around in the dark.  
>"Watch it!" The woman she had knocked in to growled at Emily and pushed her back. She stumbled, almost falling over the foot of the guy who had come up behind her. There were three of them in total, two guys and the girl, and they were all laughing at the seemingly helpless blind girl.<p>

"You should watch where you're going girlie!" One of the boys roared with laughter as he pushed Emily forward, back towards the waiting arms of the girl. She grabbed hold of Emily, her hands clamping on to her like a vice.  
>"Now, now boys! Didn't your mothers ever tell you not to play with your food?" The girl let out a high pitched giggle that grated on Emily's last nerve. She didn't react straight away. She could snap all three of their necks without even dropping her cane, but she was waiting for the right moment. When she heard the familiar growl of the woman's fangs descending she knew it had come.<p>

"Didn't _your_ mother ever tell you not to pick a fight you can't win?" Emily mused, goading the other vampire.  
>"Looks like this little human's got some teeth on her!" One of the boys guffawed in a deep alto. Emily couldn't see him properly, but she could make him out by his gruff voice and sour smell. The other guy had a higher pitch to his voice and a sweeter smell, like rotting fruit. Regardless of individual scents, all vampires had one thing in common and that was the absence of a certain smell that living humans possessed. Emily's scent was different, the silver had done something to her blood so that there was still enough spark of life left in it to make her appear human to other vampires.<p>

"I've got teeth alright, but I'm not human. Not anymore." The bloodsuckers had walked straight in to her trap. Emily's fangs came out seconds before the trio figured out that something wasn't right about her. She wrenched free of the girl, trusting her instincts rather than her sight as she picked up her cane and plunged it forward. It connected with bone and carried on going as it sunk through one of the vamp's chest. He recoiled back, roaring in agony as Emily yanked the cane free and turned on the other two.

She had been fighting vampires her whole life, so the hits came naturally as she squared up against the other guy, the big one with the gruff voice and stale smell; being practically blind didn't slow her down any. "What are you princess, a fucking week old? Still allergic to the light? Well you won't have time to get used to it!" He provoked her as he knocked her cane out of her hands. She heard it drop with a clatter as it hit the gravel beneath them. They were down by the canals, out of sight of any prying human eyes.

Emily hadn't run in to the pack of vamps by accident. She had been tracking them through the city, biding her time and waiting for the right opportunity to take them out. The vampires were killers. They hunted for blood and sport, regardless of the fact that such practises had been banned for years by the Vampire Council.

Emily fought off his blows, ducking when she felt the subtle shift in the air as his fists swung towards her and striking when she sensed an opening in his defences. She could hear his shoes scraping against the gravel, which helped her to judge where his feet were and whether we was standing defensively or getting ready to attack again. Part of her was aware of the other threat, the girl who had grabbed her, but she had to take care of the big guy first and she could hear the girl sobbing as she tried in vain to save her friend. There was nothing she could do though. Emily had struck him clean in the heart; she was a Fitch, she knew well enough not to miss first time.

"I'm a hunter." Emily growled back at him through clenched teeth. He landed a blow to the side of her head that had her stumbling back, but she recovered quickly and landed a series of kicks to his stomach and one to his knee. She heard the sickening crunch of bone breaking as the giant dropped to the ground, howling in agony.  
>"You're fucking messed up is what you are kid!" The vampire snarled at her, blood was dripping down his chin as spat out a couple of broken teeth, including one of his fangs. "You're one of us! You're not supposed to turn on your own kind! You're a-" Whatever he had been about to say was lost as there was the swish of a blade and his words were abruptly cut off; along with his head.<p>

It bounced to the ground before rolling along the gravel and coming to a stop by Emily's boot. The tiny hunter stared grimly ahead, as though she could penetrate the darkness that surrounded her if she just concentrated hard enough. "I didn't need your help." She huffed as she wiped at her mouth with the back of her sleeve. Her lips held the tangy taste of coppery blood from where the man's sovereign ring had split her bottom lip open.

"Clearly." Sophia mused. She stooped down to pick up Emily's discarded cane and wiped it clean on the T-shirt of the man she'd just decapitated. "I thought we were over this, Emily." She sighed as she handed the cane back over.  
>"Where's the third one?" Emily ignored her, trying to pick up on the sound of the girl's crying. All she could hear was her own heart pounding in her chest.<br>"She split when her friend did." Sophia tucked the boning knife that she'd used to decapitate the big guy back in to the inside pocket of her long sweeping coat.

"You're not a hunter anymore, Emily." Sophia reprimanded her. "You can't just go out hunting your own kind! Especially not here, if Markus catches word you're alive-"  
>"I <em>needed <em>to do something." Emily argued. She'd felt anxious and trapped ever since they'd come back to Bristol and she was resorting to her old habits to keep herself sane. When Sophia had first taken Emily away she had been ready to end her own life. She hadn't been coping well with her transition. Sophia had helped her to channel her rage and anger, to use it to destroy the very monsters she was afraid of turning in to.

Emily had learnt how to hone her newfound senses and abilities while still clinging to her identity as a hunter. Sophia had indulged her for a year or so, but after that she had made it quite clear; Emily wasn't a hunter anymore. She might not drink human blood, but she was still a vampire and she had to accept that.

It had taken some time, but Emily had slowly stopped going out to hunt her own kind. She'd gradually let go of the past and her last fragile link to her old life.

"I want to leave, Soph. Now. Please, let's just go." Emily pleaded. She didn't care if it sounded like she was whining. She just wanted to get out of the city. Sophia stepped in close, cradling one of the smaller girl's cheeks in her hand before tilting her head back to steal a kiss. She ran her tongue softly against Emily's already healing lip, savouring the taste of her blood. It was no longer the same delicacy it had once been, back when Emily had been human, but it still tasted sweet all the same.

"You know I can't do that, Em. I need to be here. Markus killed my father and he thinks he's gotten away with it... I'm finally strong enough to make him pay for it; with your help. Just be patient, sweetie. It won't be much longer now." Emily leant in to the older woman's touch. Things had been much simpler when they'd been touring the globe. It had been easier to forget about her old life when she had been busy taking in the sights of the continent.

"I know why you're anxious. Maybe you should go see her-"  
>"No." Emily wrenched away. She didn't need to ask who the other woman was talking about. "I don't want to see her! I don't want anything to do with her! And you promised to stay away from her too! We take out Markus and we leave, that was the deal!"<br>"And it still is." Sophia tried to soothe the younger girl. The older vampire was gifted with a silver tongue and she knew how to use it to get what she wanted. "You call the shots babe. I just thought you might have wanted to see her again, let bygones be bygones?" Sophia linked their arms together as she started guiding the blind girl back towards the apartment they shared.

"Well I don't!" Emily huffed petulantly. She thought of what she had witnessed the night before, when she'd watched Naomi hunting that girl from the club. Before Mandy had intervened, she hadn't been sure whether Naomi was going to go in for the kill or not; she wasn't sure the blonde had known either.

"Naomi made her choice when she brought me back; and I made mine when I left with you. End of story." 

* * *

><p>"You're looking rough." Kieran teased as Naomi dragged herself in to the kitchen they shared. She flopped down in to one of the chairs at the kitchen table and lay with her head flat against the wood.<br>"Bite me." She growled, in no mood for the Irishman's jibes. She'd drank herself in to oblivion the night before and she still wasn't sure how she'd clawed her way back to consciousness; it took a lot of alcohol to make a vampire black out.  
>"Oh, you know your mother's rules about biting in the house." He chuckled to himself as he joined her at the table. His movements were sluggish and jerky. He almost spilled his searing hot coffee all down his sleeve as he set his mug down on the table a little too hard and dropped down on to his chair.<p>

Naomi bit her lip as she looked over at him. His skin was sallow and stretched tightly across his bones. His soft brown curls had been cropped close to his head and there were more patches of grey than colour in his stubbly beard. If Naomi looked rough, then Kieran looked like a walking corpse.

She dropped her gaze before he could catch her staring at him. It had been six months since they'd found the tumour in his brain; a tiny little cluster of mutated cells that were growing too close to his spinal cord for modern medicine to be able to do a damn thing about them. Six months since Kieran had been told he was going to die, and in that time they had only talked about it once.

"Good night last night then?" He questioned, trying to hide the tremor in his hands as he clutched his mug with both of them.  
>"Eventful." Naomi shrugged at him. She didn't want to talk about the fact that she'd stalked some poor girl with the intentions of feeding from her, or that Mandy had once again threatened to end her life. She didn't want to admit that for a few fleeting seconds she had felt Emily's presence again; and that when the moment had passed her grief had almost crushed her all over again.<p>

The pain in her heart had been almost insurmountable when Cook had ended his own life to save Emily's, and it had only grown worse after Emily's death. Her grief had almost killed her, but she had somehow lived through it, numbing the pain by focusing her efforts on keeping Katie on the straight and narrow; or when that failed, just drinking herself stupid until she could barely remember her own name, let alone Emily's.

"Where did Katie get to then?" Gina didn't bother with saying good morning as she breezed in to the kitchen, talking far too loudly for Naomi's liking. Naomi felt a pang of guilt as she realised she had just left the club without bothering to tell Katie. The younger vampire was supposed to be her charge, but she was doing a pretty shit job of taking care of her. Her guilt was written all over her face as Gina shook her head at her.

"You're supposed to be looking out for her! I cut you some slack this time of year, but you need to get it together, Naomi! You're not a child anymore-"  
>"Then stop treating me like one!" Naomi snapped, sick of the endless lectures and sharp looks. She got to her feet, knocking her chair back and sending it crashing to the floor. Kieran winced at the noise. He knew there was going to be an explosion of noise as mother and daughter squared off against one another.<p>

"Maybe _you_ should raise Katie! After all you did a fan-_fucking-_tastic job with me!" Naomi snapped, hitting the older woman with a low blow.  
>"Naomi-" Gina started, but the younger blonde didn't give her a chance to get a word in edge ways. She was already at her wits end and she couldn't take anymore.<br>"I should never have come back!" She shouted before storming off out of the kitchen. She bumped in to Katie on her way out of the front door, barely registering that the other girl was safe and sound.

She kept her head down low and her feet pounding the pavement as she ignored Gina shouting for her to come back. She was done. She was done with her maker and she was done with the whole damn city. Naomi was leaving and she wasn't planning on coming back. She just had one small thing to take care of first; killing Sophia.

"Miss Campbell." The young blonde manning the reception at Sophia's club greeted Naomi with a pleasant smile as she stepped out from behind her desk to get the door for her. Naomi ignored the blonde and shoved past her, letting herself in to the club. She'd barely reached the bottom of the stairs when a burly doorman stepped in her path. He was a beefy guy with a crew cut and muscles that strained under his tight fitting suit. He was also a vampire, but Naomi and she had no problem taking care of him with a well-aimed kick to his privates.

More of Sophia's private security rounded on her as Naomi tried to make her way across the club and over to the door that led to the older vampire's office. She was outnumbered five to one, but she was too blind with rage to care. "That's enough." Sophia's sharp tone cut through the air, stopping the bouncers in their tracks. They took a step back, letting Naomi push past them. She followed Sophia in to the office and slammed the door shut behind her.

"Naomi. To what do I owe the pleasure?" Sophia perched on the edge of her glass desk, her short black skirt riding up her thighs as she crossed her legs. Naomi's eyes lingered on her bare legs, mostly because she figured she was still drunk. The older vampire didn't miss the subtle shift in Naomi's attention. She sat forward, folding her arms over her chest to amplify it.

"I hate you." Naomi growled at her honestly. "You're fucking poison…everything in my life was fine until I met you!" She spat, her voice growing as her anger swelled inside of her.  
>"I didn't turn you." Sophia shrugged, almost uninterested. Her response did nothing to try and quell the blonde's rage.<br>"No, you just gave me my first taste of human blood. You took everything I was and you destroyed it! Just like you did with Em!" That got a reaction from the older vampire.

It was just a subtle shift in the way she was holding herself, but Naomi picked up on it; she was like a shark with the scent of blood in the water. "She was this fucking _perfect _thing and you ruined her! You just...you destroyed her."  
>"Are we talking about me or you?" Sophia snapped back, narrowing her dark eyes on the blonde as she pushed herself up off the desk. "I hurt her, I'll hold my hands up to that; but I always gave Emily a choice. What choice did <em>you <em>give her when you gave her your blood? Huh, Naomi? My blood might have been the poison that stopped her heart, but yours was the one who ruined her!"

"I didn't have a choice!" Naomi argued. She wasn't quite sure why she was defending herself to the bitch who had murdered Emily in the first place. Maybe she just needed to get it out of her system. "I couldn't just stand there and watch her die! I couldn't just do nothing!"  
>"No, you couldn't; not that it made a difference in the end." Sophia's words were like a slap in the face to the younger vampire. Gina, Katie and even Effy, had all danced around Emily's death, insisting that Naomi hadn't been responsible for it; but Sophia had just hand delivered her the cold hard truth. Emily had died scared and alone, hating herself for what Naomi had let her turn in to.<p>

"Killing you won't make much of a difference either." Naomi admitted in an eerily calm voice as she took a threatening step forward. "But it will make me feel better." She launched at the other vampire without warning, laying in to her with her fists. Sophia's reactions were slower than they had once been; the silver in her system had left her weak.

She was slow to block Naomi's attacks and even when she did land a few blows of her own they were nowhere near as powerful as Naomi remembered them. She kneed the older vampire in the stomach before grabbing the old fashioned telephone off of her desk and slamming it down against her head. Sophia stumbled back, dazed by the blow and unsteady on her feet. She had barely recovered when Naomi grabbed her by the lapels of her blazer and sent her smashing through her desk.

It gave way in an explosion of glass and Naomi picked up one of the bigger chunks before pressing it to the other woman's throat. The glass was biting in to her palms as she pressed it firmly to Sophia's trachea, but she ignored the pain. It would take a while to decapitate someone with the sliver of glass, but Naomi was determined to try.

Sophia caught her off guard as she started laughing at her. "What's so fucking funny?" Naomi spat while trying to force the glass down harder. Sophia had caught hold of her wrists and was struggling to push her hands away from her throat, laughing all the while.  
>"You are!" Suddenly she rolled them over and started slamming Naomi's head down off the floor until she dropped the glass. There was a steady stream of blood pouring from her throat and dropping down on to Naomi's cheeks as she hovered over her, using her body to keep the smaller girl pinned down to the floor.<p>

"You missed your chance Naomi." Sophia growled down at her, keeping a firm hand around her throat with a grip that would have choked the life out of her had she still been human. "The silver left me weak for a long time, but I got stronger. I'm not quite a hundred percent yet, but I'm strong enough to take on a little baby vamp like you…I could rip your head off right now-"  
>"So do it!" Naomi shouted at her. "Just fucking do it! Put me out of my bastard misery already!" Sophia's answering chuckle only served to infuriate the blonde, but there was nothing she could do about it as she thrashed helplessly beneath her.<p>

"That's why you came here isn't it? You didn't come to kill me, you came so I'd end your miserable life! Well I'm not going to kill you Naomi! You don't get to take the easy way out just because you're too much of a coward to do it yourself! Sorry babe, but you get to live." Sophia released her grip on Naomi's throat and got back to her feet, dusting the shards of glass from her knees and brushing it out of her hair. Naomi lay on her back on the floor, staring helplessly up at the ceiling as tears threatened to start spilling down her cheeks. She was almost one hundred and fifty years old; she was growing sick and tired of living.

"Drink?" Sophia sauntered over to the minibar that was sitting in the corner of her office, her heels crunching on the glass littering the floor, and pulled out a decanter full of blood. She filled two glasses before walking back over to Naomi and taking a seat beside her on the floor. The blonde sat with her back to the wall and sipped at the blood. It was cold, but at least it would help to clear her head. Her raging hangover had only gotten worse from Sophia slamming her head against the floor. There was something familiar about the taste, but she couldn't pick out what it was. She was too busy glaring at Sophia.

"I hate you." She muttered quietly, drawing a small smile from the older vampire.  
>"No you don't." Sophia moved to caress the blonde's cheek, ignoring the way she stiffened up in response. "You were madly in love with me once. That kind of love doesn't just disappear."<br>"I was _mad_ to love you." Naomi corrected her. She quickly finished her drink and tossed the glass aside, letting it fall with the rest of the mess on the floor. "What are you really doing back here Sophia? Why come back to this shit hole?"

"To take down Markus, of course." Sophia answered in a matter of fact kind of tone. She sat her glass down beside her and smoothed down her skirt. "I know he killed my father. I've known for a long time, but there wasn't much I could do about it."  
>"But now you suddenly can?" Naomi felt the hairs on the back of her neck standing up. Sophia was nothing if not a schemer. If she was cooking something up to take on one of the oldest vampires in existence then Naomi didn't want to be around for the fallout. "What's your secret?"<p>

"It wouldn't be a secret if I told you, now would it?" Sophia mused, clearly enjoying knowing something that Naomi didn't. The older vampire had always loved the feeling of being in control, and having power over others; including the people she claimed to love. "My offer still stands, come back to me. Come back and I'll tell you everything; you won't regret it." Sophia purred, trying to entice the blonde back to her.

Naomi had no intentions of going back to her ex-lover. She wasn't even really listening to the other vampire; she was too busy running her tongue across her lips. They were still coated with the lingering taste of the blood Sophia had given her. Something inside of Naomi clicked as she tried to place the all too familiar flavour. She felt her stomach going in to spasm as she clenched her fists so hard that her knuckles turned white.

"Emily." She growled out. Sophia never failed to amaze her with just how cruel she could be. "That was Emily's blood."  
>"I've had it on ice for three years." Sophia answered calmly, unaware of the simmering rage building up inside of the blonde. "Thought I'd save it for a special occasion. Here's to the girl we both loved." She picked up her glass and held it up to Naomi as if offering her a toast. She hadn't touched a single drop, but the younger vampire was too preoccupied to notice.<p>

Naomi slapped the glass out of her hand, sending the blood spraying across the back wall. "What a waste." Sophia observed, a small smirk playing on her lips.  
>"You didn't love her! You just wanted to own her!" Naomi snapped. She dragged herself up to her feet, ignoring the way her stomach was rolling and her head was pounding. Sophia had almost choked her senseless and she was having trouble finding her footing as she stood up and tried to walk for the door. Sophia let out another cruel laugh as she watched her go.<p>

"Love _is_ possession, Naomi. I thought you would have figured that out by now." She followed her to the door and leant casually against it as she stopped the blonde from walking out on her. "You'll come back to me soon enough, lover. After all, I have so much that you _want!_"  
>"You have nothing that I want!" Naomi shoved past her. She had to get out of the club. Her head was pounding and her vision was blurring. If she could just get some fresh air and walk it off she'd be ok.<p>

She raced out of the club, ignoring the looks she was getting from the patrons and the staff alike. They had probably all heard her and Sophia tearing her office up. Naomi didn't care who was watching her though, she kept her head down and carried on walking until she was outside and the sun was hitting her face.

"Fuck!" She recoiled as the light hit her eyes, sending a stabbing pain shooting right through her brain. She stumbled back, temporarily blinded by the light, and bumped in to someone coming the other way. "Sorry!" She hastily apologised as she blinked, trying to clear her sight.  
>"My fault." A husky voice replied and Naomi felt her heart clench in her chest. She blinked rapidly until her vision was clear again, and then she kept on blinking as her eyes settled on the sight of the tiny red head standing in front of her. "Are you ok?" The girl asked, staring right at her through large, dark sunglasses and clutching a white stick.<p>

Naomi was dumbstruck as she stood there gawping at the ghostly apparition of her dead lover; except she wasn't a ghost. She reached out towards her; needing to make sure she was really there. The redhead pulled back with a frown as Naomi removed her glasses, revealing pale unseeing eyes, the colour of muddy puddles, speckled with silver. "Em…" The blonde let out a breath she hadn't realised she'd been holding in and watched as Emily's face changed. The apprehension melted in to all out fear as she took a step back, trying to distance herself from the blonde.

"Emily?" Naomi took a step forward, but all of the questions she had would have to wait. She looked past Emily, at a blonde vampire careening across the street towards them. She was a blur of colour, moving at impossible speed and carrying what looked like a stake in her right hand. Naomi only had seconds to make her decision as she knocked Emily aside and got between her and the vampire charging at them.

Naomi heard a shrill scream as the stake sunk in to her chest. It took her a moment to figure out it was coming from her. The pain was immeasurable. Naomi had never felt anything like it before in her long life. She dropped to her knees, choking on the hot, sickly sweet blood that was welling up in her mouth; blood had never tasted so foul to her. She spat out a mouthful on to the pavement as she dropped to her knees, clutching at the wooden stake sticking out of her chest.

"Shit!" The vampire who had stabbed her realised her mistake as she stumbled back, almost tripping over her own feet. There had been a time when every vampire in England had known Naomi's face. Her own kind had been just as terrified of her and Sophia as the hunters had been. Naomi might have lost her bite over the years, but she hadn't lost her reputation. "I'm sorry! It wasn't meant for you! I'm sorry!" The younger blonde fled, disappearing in another blur as Naomi's eyes swam in and out of focus.

Emily, finally back on her feet and out of the state of shock that bumping in to Naomi had left her in, moved to go after her. Naomi reached for her arm, clinging to it with bloodied fingers like it was a lifeline. "Help…me!" She choked out, struggling to breath as the pain in her chest spread throughout her whole body. There was far too much blood pouring out around the stake and the pain was too much. Something wasn't right. "Please Em…I think…I think she hit my heart."


	47. Chapter VI

"Am I dead?" Naomi croaked out, her voice muffled by the oxygen mask over her face. She remembered reaching for the stake protruding from her chest, hoping the wound would heal without it inside of her; but removing it had brought on a fresh wave of excruciating pain and even more hot, sticky, red blood. Naomi had either passed out after that, or died. She still wasn't sure which.

Her eyes were struggling to focus. The world around her was a blur of white, with the only discernible colour coming from Emily's vivid red hair. At least the pain was gone, though Naomi wasn't quite sure we if that were really a good sign or not. She felt some pressure against her hand and vaguely registered it was from Emily holding it. She smiled absently, feeling oddly at ease for someone who was dying.

"Not quite." Emily answered her question. It took the blonde a second to remember that she'd asked one. "You're in an ambulance. They've given you morphine for the pain. We'll be at the hospital soon." She squeezed the blonde's hand a little tighter to reassure her.

Somewhere beyond the fog of her brain Naomi could hear the wailing of the ambulance's sirens as they weaved through the heavy, city traffic. Hospital? What good would a hospital do a vampire? If her heart had been pierced by the stake then she was already dead, a human doctor could do nothing for her.

"You're dead..." Naomi mumbled, struggling to focus as the drugs coursing through her system threatened to pull her back in to the abyss. "I'm dead...we're all dead..." She let out a delirious laugh and the pain in her chest made an unwelcome return.

"Not quite." Emily muttered again; just as Naomi lost her battle to stay conscious.

* * *

><p>The second time Naomi woke up she was once again dazzled by the light and everything in her line of sight seemed to be a brilliant white. This time it was only the plain white walls and bedding of the hospital room she was lying in. She still found it hard to focus on anything more than a few feet away from her, but at least her head had cleared a little. She was still attached to a morphine drip, so she summoned what little strength she had to press down on the little button by her hand. It released a fresh dose of morphine, keeping her body numb.<p>

Her mind, however, was racing. She moved her head until she caught sight of Emily. Part of her had thought she'd imagined running in to the other girl, but there she was; clear as day, sitting curled up on a plastic chair on the other side of the room. She was sitting by an open window, letting in a gentle breeze that was blowing softly against her long red hair. It was darker than Naomi remembered. A deeper shade of red that made Emily look all the more mature, despite her not having aged a day; she never would.

She was too far away for Naomi to make out the details of her face, but she could at least tell she was frowning. It took some effort, but Naomi was able to sit herself up in the bed. "You're alive then." She had been too preoccupied with the stake in her chest earlier to really think about what Emily being there meant.

"Looks like it." Emily shrugged without turning her eyes away from the window. "You are too. The stake missed your heart; it didn't actually hit any organs."

"Good to know." Naomi huffed. She sat staring at a spot on the ceiling where the immaculate white roof tiles had been stained by a water leak on the floor above. Her mind was reeling from the revelation that Emily was alive. Had she not felt like she'd been hit by a bus, she would have jumped out of the bed and shaken the other girl, demanding answers to the dozen of questions flying through her mind. As it was, she had to make do with glaring at the ceiling.

"You were down in surgery for a few hours." Emily continued, choosing to carry on ignoring the elephant in the room. "You lost a lot of blood. I gave the doctors a fake name, but they've probably called the police with it being a stabbing. We should get you out of here before they show up-"

"Why?" Naomi interrupted the other girl. "Why pretend to be dead? Why do that to your family? To me? I suppose it's no coincidence that you turn up alive at the same time as Sophia comes back to town?" Naomi could feel a hot anger bubbling under the surface and threatening to erupt like lava from a volcano. She had mourned the other girl for three long years, yet there she was; alive and well.

Emily still refused to turn and face her as she answered. Her expression was stern and her voice dry. "I didn't intend to fake anything. I _wanted_ to die! Sophia found me. She wouldn't let me end it, so she took me away and she taught me how to keep going; how to live with what I am. What you made me."

"I'm sorry." Naomi had said it all before, but there was simply nothing else to say. "I'm sorry I was too selfish to let you die. I know I should have been stronger for you. I know I should have respected that it was your choice... but I couldn't just watch you die and do nothing! You can hate me for that until the end of time if you have to, but what about your family? How could you do this to them?" She thought of Jenna Fitch crying over an empty grave as her usually stoic husband crumpled at her feet. Emily's apparent death had ripped her family apart, ending her parent's twenty year marriage.

"My family." Emily mused, as though Naomi had just told her a funny joke. "My mass murdering sister, and the vampire hunting parents who couldn't even protect their own kids? Yeah, I'm really missing them." She answered callously. She sounded nothing like the human girl that Naomi had first fallen for; the sweet and caring girl with a heart too big for her own good. The girl who had sacrificed everything to keep the ones she loved safe.

"What about James?" Naomi argued, hating the bitterness that laced the other girl's tone as she spoke about the people she had cared about more than anything else on the whole world.

"I miss him." Emily admitted in a quiet, faltering voice. "But he already has more than enough blood suckers in his life, he doesn't need another one."  
>"He needs his sister back." Naomi argued, though she could see it was getting her nowhere. Emily was stubbornly refusing to even turn and look at her, never mind to listen to what she had to say.<p>

Emily kept her back to the blonde as she subtly wiped at the tears that had been welling up in her eyes. "We should get moving. The police will be here by morning. The doctors didn't expect you to wake up so soon."

"What's happening to me? Why aren't I healing?" Naomi decided to temporarily put Emily's betrayal aside for a moment to concentrate on more pressing matters; like why her body wasn't healing from a simple stab wound. She was fairly certain that Sophia had something to do with it. The older vampire had been behind most of the bad things that had happened to Naomi in her long and arduous life.

"I don't know." Emily answered after a pause. "One thing at a time, yeah?" She finally moved away from the window and headed for the door. Naomi felt a rush of panic as the younger girl reached for the door handle.  
>"Don't leave me!" She pleaded helplessly. She knew she had no right to ask anything of Emily, but the thought of the other girl walking out and leaving her again when she was so weak was simply too much to bear.<br>"I'll be right back." Emily promised before slipping out of the room.

True to her word, she returned a few minutes later pushing a hospital issue wheelchair in front of her. There was no way Naomi would be able to make her own way out of the hospital. It was a miracle she had even woken up so quickly after surgery. Emily put the brakes down on the wheelchair once she'd parked it in front of the bed and Naomi tried to kick the bed covers away from her so she could swing her legs out of the bed, but even the small action of moving the blankets seemed to zap all of her strength from her. She couldn't remember ever feeling so weak; so _human._

"I've got you." Emily moved in close to the blonde. After disconnecting her morphine drip she scooped her up in her arms like she was little more than a rag doll. Naomi clung tightly to the younger vampire's neck as she was moved over to the wheelchair and Emily gently sat her down. Naomi kept her hold on her, reluctant to let go. Sure enough, a big part of her hated what Emily had put her through; but there would always be a part of her that was irrevocably in love with her. That part of Naomi didn't care about where Emily had been all of this time, or why. It just wanted her back.

Emily didn't immediately wrench away either. Her hands moved to cover Naomi's, as if she was going to pull them away. Instead she let them linger. Naomi felt light headed again as her heart pounded in her chest and a rush of adrenaline coursed through her veins. Emily still wasn't looking at her. She was staring down at the floor, biting at her lower lip. Her eyes no longer looked tainted with silver. They were the deep, indulgent chocolate colour that Naomi remembered so well.

She moved forward without thinking, and ignoring the pain ripping through her chest, to try and catch Emily's lips. The other girl moved her head at the last second, so that Naomi's lips only grazed her cheek instead. "Don't." Emily came out with a throaty growl before stepping back. She looked visibly shaken as she moved to take the brakes off the wheelchair.

They made their way out of the room in silence, which continued all the way down the corridor, in to the lift and eventually out of the building. It was late, so most of the hospital was quiet and no one questioned the two teenagers making their way to the car park. Naomi swore as she felt the bitter wind biting at the flesh of her bare legs. She was only wearing a thin hospital gown, so the cold was going right through her. She hadn't thought to grab the blanket off her bed or to look for some clothes before making her escape. She hadn't felt cold in well over a century.

The sensation was odd, with her skin prickling and her teeth chattering. Noticing her distress, Emily stopped pushing the chair to pull of her long dark coat and draped it over Naomi's shivering body. She clung to it, savouring the warmth of the material and the scent of Emily's perfume.

Emily carried on pushing the chair until she found a quiet corner of the car park that didn't seem to be covered by any of the CCTV cameras. There was an old Ford Escort parked under a flickering streetlight. It didn't look pretty, but it did look older than Emily. The twenty year old car would be easier to steal than a flashy BMW parked across from it.

The younger vampire smashed the front window and reached in to unlock the car door. She'd definitely struck it lucky. There wasn't even an alarm. She popped open the rear door and helped Naomi on to the back seat. The older girl whimpered as she lay down, her face resting against the cold leather of the seat.

Without the morphine, the pain in her chest seemed to have come back tenfold. Between that and the cold Naomi was absolutely spent. She could feel her eyes closing involuntarily as the car began to warm up and her exhaustion threatened to overcome her. "Stay with me." She heard Emily's voice in her ear like a distant whisper as the car started up.  
>"Always." Naomi mumbled before slipping back in to the darkness.<p>

Emily stared in the rearview mirror, silently watching the passed out blonde. Her knuckles were white from how hard she was gripping the steering wheel. She hadn't planned on Naomi finding out she was still alive. She sighed as her phone went off for the third time since she'd been at the hospital and Sophia's name flashed up on the screen. It wasn't like she could ignore her sire forever, so she finally picked up.

"Emily, where are you?" The older woman didn't waste time with pleasantries as she demanded to know what Emily was doing. "I thought you were meeting me at the club for dinner? You know how worried I've been about you lately…"  
>"I'm fine." Emily lied; she was anything but. "I uh…I just…I need some space. I'll be home soon, okay?"<p>

"Okay. Take as long as you need. Just check in once in a while, let me know you're ok."

"I will." Emily promised before abruptly hanging up. She had to get Naomi somewhere safe. The blonde's skin was pale and ashen. Her breathing was laboured and Emily could hear every beat of her heart over the sound of the car's engine. She was reluctant to take Naomi home. It was the one place she would be safe in her state, but it was also the last place that Emily wanted to go.

The drive over to Gina's didn't take very long. Emily kept the engine running as she pulled up outside of the corner house. It hadn't changed a bit in the three years since she had last been there. The blue paintwork on the front door was still faded and peeling and the old gate was still hanging off one of its hinges. The lights were on downstairs and Emily could see movement through the blinds.

She thought about leaving Naomi on the doorstep and driving away, but there was no guarantee that the blonde would be found right away and it was cold outside. Naomi would just tell the others she was alive anyway, so there was no point in carrying on pretending she was dead. Emily climbed out of the car and reached in to the back to get Naomi out. She was still flat out. Emily cradled the blonde to her chest as she carried her up the garden path.

She paused uncertainly at the door as she looked down at the other girl. She brushed aside a stray strand of hair that had fallen over Naomi's face, letting her fingers linger against her cheek. "I missed you." She choked out softly, glad that Naomi couldn't hear her; it was already hard enough for her to walk away as it was.

She kicked at the door, since her hands were full, and waited for someone to answer. Her chest felt tight and her palms were sweating as she anxiously waited. It had been three years since she had last seen Gina or Katie. She wondered which one of them would answer the door. In the end it turned out to be Kieran. The Irishman opened the door, staring blankly at Emily and the unconscious blonde in her arms.

"Katie? Aren't you upstairs?" He frowned at the redhead. There was something wrong with him. Emily could smell it, the scent of death and decay hung around him like cheap cologne.  
>"Kieran, it's Emily."<br>"Oh…hello Emily." He stepped aside, wearing a blank smile as he ushered her inside.  
>"Kieran love, who is it?" Gina called from the living room. She came out to check on her husband and stopped dead in her tracks at the sight of the two girls standing in the hallway. "Emily…"<p>

"She's hurt." Emily couldn't look Gina in the eye as she moved to hand Naomi over to her.  
>"What happened?"<br>"She was stabbed-"  
>"That's not what I was asking, Emily." Gina furrowed her brow as she carried her daughter in to the living room. The younger vampire followed after her. Had it been anyone else she would have fled straight away; but Gina had been nothing but nice to her. Emily owed her an explanation.<p>

She hovered by the door as Gina laid Naomi out on the sofa. "I didn't do it on purpose. I wanted to die…"  
>"I know you did, sweetheart." Gina replied. Her voice was tinged with sadness as she looked up from her daughter. "I just wish we could have done something to help you back then…it's not too late though. You know you're always welcome here."<p>

"I can't stay." Emily shook her head, unable to even entertain the notion. She turned to walk out, but stopped as she seemed to change her mind about something. "She's human right now. I can't explain how, but she is. The hospital gave her a blood transfusion and stitched up her wound, the dressing will need changed though and she'll need to eat when she wakes up…but you know, people food, not people."

"That's not possible..." Gina turned her attention back to Naomi. The blonde's skin was paler than usual and her breathing was laboured, like her body actually needed the oxygen that was being taken in through her lungs. "It's not…" Emily slipped quietly out before Gina could question her anymore. She was almost at the front door when she heard Katie's voice behind her.  
>"Emily?"<p>

"Fuck." She stopped in her tracks and turned to face her sister. Katie was standing at the top of the stairs, wearing a look of utter disbelief. Every part of Emily was screaming for her to run, but she was frozen as Katie made her way down to her. "Katie…just forget you saw me okay? I can't come back. I can't-" Emily was cut off as Katie slapped her hard across the face.

Emily had thought a lot about reuniting with her family over the years, her twin in particular. She had never imagined it including Katie slapping her; at least not until after she'd found out about Sophia's involvement. "Forget? How am I supposed to forget that my fucking sister just walked in here after three years of being dead like nothing happened! And you were just walking out without even saying anything to _me!_ I'm your fucking twin Emily! Do you know what you've put us through? Mum and Dad and-"

"Stop! Just stop, Katie!" Emily snapped back at her, her anger overtaking her guilt. "I did what I had to! You don't understand and you probably never will… but that doesn't matter! You won't see me again, so just forget me!"  
>"Doesn't matter?" Katie growled in her face. "Of course it matters! Mum thinks you're some kind of fucking hero for topping yourself when you got turned! And I'm just the screw up who's too chicken shit to do the right thing!"<p>

"I did do the right thing!" Emily screamed back at her. "I was poisoning myself with silver for _months_ to make sure I'd die if I was turned! I should have died when Sophia drained me! But Naomi wouldn't let me go! None of you would..." Emily threw her hands up in exasperation. "I always tried to do the right fucking thing, and look what it cost me! My life, my family…"  
>"You cost yourself all that when you walked out on us Em…Don't let the door hit you on the way out."<p> 


	48. Chapter VII

**A/N: Sorry for the long wait guys! I know this is the first time I've updated this fic this year, but I'm really trying to get back in to my Skins fics and finish a few things off! I should be back to regular updates again soon. As ever, thanks for reading and for the encouraging reviews.**

"It's not too late to go after her." Gina stood by the living room door as she watched Katie staring at the door her twin had just walked out of. The younger girl's eyes were glazed over as she rubbed furiously at them, trying to stop herself from crying.  
>"Why would I do that?" Katie snapped back at her. "Emily made her choice when she walked out on us."<p>

"Aren't you curious? About why she did what she did?" Gina probed. She was trying to be objective about Emily's return, but part of her had always had a soft spot for the younger twin.

"No." It was a flat out lie. Katie was more than curious. She wanted to know everything; from where Emily had been all of this time, to why she had let everyone who cared about her think she was dead. "She left! She doesn't get to just show up and then walk off again without a fucking explanation! My mum looks at me like I'm the biggest fucking disappointment in the world because I didn't do the "right" thing and top myself when I was turned, like St. Emily did! Except she didn't, did she? I don't care why she left. She's still dead to me!" Katie yanked open the front door and stormed out, though it wasn't to go after her twin.

She jumped in her car and headed in to the city centre. Her mind was racing and she needed clarity; there was only one place she knew to go to get it. The small church where she attended AA was shrouded in darkness, but Katie knew she could make her way inside. She had done it a hundred times before. The church had become her sanctuary over the years, which was ironic seeing as she had never believed in God or anything else. It was just somewhere she could go to get away from everything.

Something else caught her eye as she was climbing out of her car though. A group of girls walked past, giggling and talking loudly as their heels clicked against the pavement. They were all wearing short skirts and low cut tops and they were clearly drunk as they stumbled towards the nightclub across the street. Katie watched them disappear inside, feeling envious of how carefree they seemed.

That should have been her; and Emily, and Effy. They were twenty-one years old and they should have been living it up. Instead, Katie was going to AA meetings twice a day to stop herself from ripping out some poor bastard's throat when she got too hungry. She had abstained from human blood for almost three long years, with only a few slip ups along the way, but she had done it as a way to honour her dead twin. If Emily wasn't dead, then it had all been for nothing.

The young vampire caught herself moving without really thinking about it. Her feet carried her away from the church and over to the club. The bouncer on the door barely gave her a second glance as he ushered her in alongside the group of girls who had first caught her attention. Inside of the club was dark and crowded, with hundreds of strangers crammed in together. The music was jacked up far too loud and the stale scent of beer, sweat and sex mingled together in the air to leave an unpleasant taste at the back of Katie's throat. She lost sight of the girls she had followed in, but it didn't matter.

The place was packed with potential snacks. Male or female, Katie had her pick of the bunch. The oldest twin had always know how to use her body to get whatever it was she wanted in life, and even after three years of being out of practise she found she still had the knack. She slipped down on to one of the low stools in front of the bar and managed to flirt her way to a free cocktail. The bartender thought he was being cute by making her a '_Sex on the Beach', _accompanied by a few suggestive comments that had Katie forcing out a laugh as she battered her eyelashes at him.

The club was busy and the guy couldn't afford to hang around chatting her up for too long, so Katie soon found herself alone again. She held her drink in one hand as she scanned the club for potential targets. She would need someone pretty isolated, a guy out on his own on the pull, or a girl separated from her friends. Katie's tiny stature made her the perfect predator. Few people would look at her and see any potential threat. She was small and pretty, and she had the loud kind of personality that could win over total strangers; it would be easy to get anyone of the sheep inside of the club to leave the rest of the flock and venture outside with her.

Katie's fangs ached at the mere thought of fresh, warm, human blood running over her lips. She gripped the bar a little harder, to keep her balance as a wave of longing washed over her. Every hour of every day was a constant battle for the young vampire to try and keep control; but without the guilt of Emily's 'death', she could no longer see the need to have any.

She kept on scanning the crowd for the perfect target as she picked up her glass again; a hand around her wrist stopped her from bringing it up to her lips. "I wouldn't do that if I were you." Katie's head snapped around to face the blonde girl who had dared to grab her. A snarl threatened to rip past her lips, but the older Fitch twin managed to keep her temper in check as she stared the other girl down.

"And why is that?" Katie asked, managing to make her voice sound light and flirtatious even as she shouted over the sound of the heavy bass pulsating through the air of the club.  
>"Three years sober is no small thing,<em> Katie<em>." The blonde's answer caught Katie off guard as the human girl took a seat on one of the stools beside her. She placed Katie's drink back down on its coaster while giving her a measured look. "You don't want to throw it all away over nothing."  
>"You're from the church." Katie finally placed where she knew the girl from; though the fact that she knew her name and how long she had been sober for tended to narrow it down a bit. She recognised the blonde from a handful of meetings, though she was by no means a regular. Katie couldn't be sure, but she thought she might have been at the last meeting.<p>

"I've been there a few times, but I'm not in the program." The girl emphasised her point by taking a sip of Katie's cocktail. "I'm more interested in you."  
>"Is that right?" Katie mused. Her defences started to fall as she realised the girl was hitting on her. It looked like she wouldn't have to work very hard for her next meal; it had practically just fallen in to her lap. "Well then, you shouldn't stop me drinking this. I'm <em>so<em> much more fun when I'm drinking." She shot the blonde a teasing smile as she took her glass back.

"I'll bet." The girl smirked as she leant in closer, making sure she could be heard over the noise of the club. "But we both know that what you _really _want to drink doesn't come on tap, does it?"  
>"Who are you?" Katie's nostrils flared with anger as she felt something poking in to her side. She didn't need to look down to know that the blonde had a wooden stake pressed up against her ribs.<br>"I'm Lara. You can consider me your new sponsor."

"You can consider yourself _dead!_" Katie spat back at her. She had already been in a dangerous mood from Emily's resurrection act; having some stupid young hunter try and take her on was the final straw.

Lara laughed at the threat. Her pale green eyes looked almost grey in the dim light as she narrowed them on the vampire beside her. "Like you killed my brother?" He words were like an icy shower as they washed over Katie, instantly sobering her. She had been drunk on the emotions that confronting Emily had stirred up. She had been so busy focusing on Emily's wrongdoings that she had forgotten her own. There had only ever been one occasion when Katie Fitch had taken human life. Her mouth felt dry as her lips moved without making a sound. The best she could manage was a choking sound from the back of her throat.

She and Effy had slaughtered a house full of teenagers the first night Effy had been turned. It had set off in motion a chain of events that had let to Emily giving up her life for both of them. Even if Emily were still alive, that had never been her intention. She had walked straight in to the lion's den, intending to let Sophia turn her so that she could kill the ancient vampire and save her twin at the same time.

Katie's eyes closed over as she felt tears welling up in them. Emily had sacrificed everything for her, and the only thanks Katie had ever given her was to practically slam the door in her face. "Go ahead then." She choked out as she finally opened her eyes back up. She caught sight of herself in the mirror running along the back of the bar. She looked a mess. She was wearing the yoga pants and baggy hoodie she usually wore for bed. Her hair was tied back in a hasty bun and her pale cheeks were streaked from her mascara running. "Kill me; before I hurt anyone else!"

Lara's eyes softened as she pulled the stake back and pocketed it inside her denim jacket. "I'm not here to kill you, Katie. I'm here to help." She linked arms with the vampire and helped her to her feet, almost carrying most of her weight as a defeated Katie slumped against her side. "Let's get you some pigs blood. Then we can talk."

* * *

><p>From the moment Naomi Campbell's eyes cracked open, all she could register was the immense pain shooting through her chest. There was blood on her sheets and it took her a good few attempts to sit up in bed. Her wound still didn't look any closer to healing and the throbbing pain hadn't subsided in the slightest. Wondering just what the hell was going on, she slowly got to her feet and shuffled out of her room.<p>

The trip downstairs seemed like a marathon by the time she finally slumped in to one of the chairs at the kitchen table. She took a moment to catch her breath before heading for the cabinet they kept the medicine in. Kieran had some fairly strong pain killers lying around the place. She popped two of them and then moved on to her second source of discomfort; she was absolutely starving. Her stomach was rumbling like it had been cut from her stomach for a week.

The blood packs in the fridge usually weren't all that appealing to her, but Naomi was too weak and hungry to go out searching for the fresh stuff. She popped one of the bags in the microwave and set it to warm up for a few minutes. By the time the microwave finally dinged she was feeling so ravenous that she ripped straight in to the bag and devoured most of it in one hungry gulp.

About a second after the blood had first gone down the blonde found herself heaving at the taste of it. The usual coppery tang that she enjoyed so much seemed to burn the back of her throat. The blood tasted so foul that Naomi was still retching long after it had all come back up. The pain in her chest had increased tenfold from the efforts of throwing up and her legs all but gave way on her as she dropped to the kitchen floor.

"Naomi!" She heard Gina screaming her name as the older vampire came to investigate the noises coming from the kitchen.  
>"The blood's bad." Naomi grumbled, her eyes rolling to the back of her head as another spasm of pain ran through her stomach. She couldn't remember ever being so hungry in her life.<br>"I don't think it's the blood, sweetheart." Gina helped her daughter back to her feet and then in to a chair.

She quickly filled Naomi in on the previous night's events and told her about Emily's ominous warning about her being human. "That's not possible!" Naomi protested. There was no way she could be human again. It had been almost a century and a half since her humanity had been ripped away from her. "Why would she think that?"  
>"Well, maybe because you're not healing." Gina answered wryly; sarcasm was a strong family trait. "And you just threw up half a pint of blood on the floor."<p>

"I have to see Emily! I need to know what she knows!" Naomi tried to stand, but ended up flopping back down in to the chair and groaning in agony as she clutched at her chest. "Fuck me, this hurts!"  
>"You're not going anywhere near Emily!" Gina chastised. She started digging through her purse to find her phone. "We don't know how she's involved in this. We need to get you to a professional. There's a doctor in the city that might be able to help-"<br>"Emily didn't do this to me! She wouldn't...she..." Naomi's protests started to die in her throat as the pain grew worse. The truth was, she had no idea what Emily was capable of any more; or whose side she was really playing for.

Gina's idea of a 'professional' was a GP working out of a private surgery on the high street. Had any of Naomi's senses been working properly she would have been able to tell whether he was a vampire or not, but as it was she had to wait for her mother to make the introductions. "Naomi, this is Doctor Foster. His family have worked for our kind for generations." So he was human then. Naomi stared the doctor down as he offered her his hand. She couldn't imagine what her kind would need with a doctor, human or otherwise; but she was willing to give him a chance if he could reverse whatever Sophia had done to her.

"Naomi, a pleasure to meet you. Your mum's told me all about your... _situation. _I can't say it's anything I've come across before." The middle aged doctor took his seat behind his desk and ushered for mother and daughter to sit. Naomi had never been very good at guessing the age of humans, but she would put him somewhere around forty. His salt and pepper hair was cropped short to his head and receding up top; though he had few wrinkles on his face and his skin looked as though it was well taken care of. The good doctor seemed in the prime of his life; Naomi wished she could say the same.

"Yeah, I can't imagine many of us get stabbed and wake up human. It would definitely piss the hunters off if we did." Naomi answered dryly. Gina tried to scorn her for her attitude, but the doctor just brushed it off.  
>"I can understand your frustration Naomi, really I can. Why don't we start off by having a look at that stab wound of yours? Then I'll do a full examination; see if we can't figure this thing out together." Doctor Foster shot her a smile that was probably supposed to be charming, but it just rubbed Naomi the wrong way. She had taken an instant dislike to the human doctor.<p>

Despite her personal opinion of the man, Naomi had to admit he was thorough. After cleaning and restitching the wound in her chest, he moved on to the normal things a doctor would check for. Foster took her blood pressure, tested her reflexes and listened to her heart; all of which came back normal, at least for a human. The only thing that didn't seem up to par was her eyesight. Things around her was still hazy and blurry. "Have you ingested anything lately? Taken any drugs, or had anyone give you something unusual?" Foster quizzed as he tapped the vein in the crease of her elbow in order to draw blood from her.

"Like what? The holy grail?" Naomi answered sharply, feeling queasy at the sight of the needle in the doctor's hand. "Somebody gave me another vampire's blood, but it shouldn't have done anything like this!"  
>"No. It shouldn't have." Foster agreed with a frown. He filled three vials with blood before finally pulling out the needle in her arm. Naomi's stomach turned at the sight. She had never been squeamish about blood before, but the sight of her own definitely made an impact. "I'll have this tested for any signs of infection or foreign bodies. Hopefully we 'll know what we're dealing with in a few days. In the meantime, you'll just have to do what you can. I'll prescribe you some painkillers, and you might want to schedule an eye test. I think you're a little short sighted." Foster smiled warmly as he handed Naomi the prescription he had printed for her. The blonde made sure she had it safely tucked away in her pocket before scowling at him.<br>"Thanks for nothing."

Foster kept up his smile until the two blondes left his office. The second the door was closed behind them his expression changed. Hastily picking up his phone, he dialled a familiar number and waited impatiently for an answer on the other end. "Foste? What have you got for me?" The voice that picked up sounded almost bored as they greeted him.  
>"What the hell were you thinking infecting someone without telling me? We agreed I'd lead the clinical trials-"<br>"Relax, Doctor." Sophia chuckled down the phone, belittling the already infuriated human. "I know exactly what I'm doing. You just focus on doing what I'm paying you to do."

After a lengthy eye exam and an hour of waiting, Naomi Campbell pulled on the thick rimmed spectacles that the optician had prescribed her. He'd confirmed her short sightedness and had issued her some lenses that would help her see things in the distance more clearly. She'd gone with a pair of fashionable, thick framed 'geek' glasses that seemed to suit her, but that didn't make her any happier about wearing them. "This is humiliating." She grumbled as she pulled on the lenses and the world around her snapped sharply in to focus. "I'm a fucking _vampire _and I need glasses!"

"It's not all bad, you look pretty in them." Gina tried to cheer her daughter up as she glared at herself in the window of the coffee shop they were sitting in. Naomi had to admit she liked the way the glasses seemed to frame her cheekbones and bring out the blue of her eyes; the fact that they helped her see more than a foot in front of her face was also a plus. "Like a sexy librarian!"  
>"Thanks." Naomi rolled her eyes at her mother's attempt at a compliment. She sipped at her coffee and nibbled on her third muffin. If there was one good thing about suddenly being human again, it was the food. Everything tasted so much better. It was like her taste buds had found new life since her mind was no longer preoccupied with blood.<p>

As well as getting her eye test, they'd handed in Naomi's prescription for the painkillers Foster had given her. They'd had to wait for the pharmacist to check the prescription over, since whatever Foster had given her was so strong. The relief had been immense as soon as Naomi had swallowed a couple. The pain in her chest was still there, but it was somewhat muted and the painkillers had taken the edge off the deep ache she felt throughout her whole body. Between the pills and the glasses she felt almost normal again.

"Do you feel up to getting the bus, or do you want to me to call a taxi?" Gina suggested as she finished off her own coffee. They'd been out most of the morning and she could only imagine how tired Naomi was feeling from the exertion of making the trip in to town.  
>"Actually, I thought I'd go see Effy. Her flat's just around the corner." It was a blatant lie, but the younger blonde was hoping she'd be able to pull it off. Sophia's apartment building down by the waterfront was only a few streets away, and she <em>needed <em>answers. Naomi couldn't exactly spend the rest of her life as a human; if the gaping wound in her chest was anything to go by, it would be a pretty short life.

"Your heart's racing." Gina narrowed her eyes on her daughter, trying to decide whether or not she was lying to her. The younger blonde had always had an impressive poker face, but her racing pulse was an evident tell.  
>"It's the coffee! I'm not fucking used to it okay? It's like giving a toddler speed!" Naomi went on the defensive, hoping to get Gina to back off and give her some space.<br>"Alright. Just watch what you're doing, and promise me you won't go after Sophia; or Emily."

"I promise." Naomi didn't miss a beat in answering; her fingers tightly crossed down by her side. They parted outside of the coffee shop and Naomi made sure to start walking in the direction of Effy's flat. Once Gina was out of sight, she doubled back and headed to the fancy serviced apartments down by the water.

It had been a long time since she had stepped foot in Sophia's apartment building. The memories that haunted her were far from pleasant as she stepped in the elevator and pushed the button for the top floor. Images of Emily's tiny broken body plagued the back of her eyelids as she squeezed her eyes shut and leant back against the cool metal wall of the lift. She had stood over her dying girlfriend that night, faced with an impossible choice. She hadn't been strong enough to let Emily go; and she was still paying for it years later.

The lift finally reached the top floor and Naomi stepped out in to an immaculate hallway. A plush red carpet ran the full length of the corridor, leading to a bay window that overlooked the water. There were only two doors on the whole floor. Naomi slowly trudged towards the one she recognised as belonging to Sophia and rapped her fist against it.

Her hearing wasn't what it used to be, but she could still hear the sound of someone moving inside. She waited patiently on the outside of the door, unsure of who would answer it. The former vampire had no plan in mind whatsoever. She was armed only with the knowledge that if Sophia wanted her dead she already would have been.

The door finally opened, slowly revealing Emily standing behind it. Naomi's breath caught in the back of her throat. Even after so long, just the sight of the other girl had the power to reduce her to a quivering mess. Emily Fitch was wearing a form fitting white vest over a pair of ripped denim jeans. Her feet were bare and her hair was loose, framing her face in a curtain of soft red curls.

"Naomi..." The younger girl breathed out and took a step back, intending to close the door on her. Ignoring the pain in her chest, Naomi stepped forward and shoved her foot in the doorway.  
>"Don't even think about shutting me out!" She snapped at her ex-girlfriend, making it clear she was in no mood to be messed around with. Whether she was human or not, she wasn't leaving until she had the answers she'd come for. "You can hate me all you want, but you're going to tell me what the fuck Sophia has done to me!" She pushed the door open as Emily stumbled back. She followed her inside and slammed the door behind her.<p>

Despite having all of the advantages, the young vampire almost seemed scared of the blonde as she looked around wildly. "Sophia isn't here! You have to leave before she comes back...Please Naomi, just go."

"I'm not going anywhere!" Naomi growled and grabbed at the other girl's arms, pulling her in close. "Not until-"

Her words were cut short as Emily surged forward and crushed their lips together. Naomi's lips parted in surprise and the smaller girl had no problem deepening the kiss with her tongue. After a moment's hesitation, Naomi started to kiss her back; her lips responding in earnest as her arms wrapped tightly around the tiny red head's waist.

"We can't do this..." Emily let out a heavy sigh as she tried to pull away. The blonde refused to let her go and they ended up stumbling backwards, falling down against the couch. Naomi grunted in the pain, the sound ending up lost in Emily's mouth as their lips locked together again. The blonde was breathing hard as Emily straddled her hips. "Please, Naomi..." She stared down at the other girl with a mixture of desperation and longing as she gingerly placed a hand over Naomi's racing heart; trying to stop her from sitting up and kissing her again.

"Can't you see that I'm just trying to protect you? I always have been..."


End file.
